On college campuses, sports betting agreements are shielded

By SHANE CONNUCK and BLAKE TOWNSEND / Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

College campuses increasingly are striking deals with sports-betting companies eager to promote their brands in stadiums and on radio broadcasts and athletic department websites — places where students can see and hear them. But details of the agreements are opaque despite high-dollar and societal stakes. At Louisiana State University, Michigan State University and the University of Maryland, the agreements are made by private companies that are not subject to public records requests. That lack of transparency concerns gambling addiction experts and others already troubled by the impact of legalized sports betting on college campuses.