TLDR
- Loyola University Chicago offers an undergraduate course on sports betting and prediction markets.
- The class covers the business, regulation and ethics of gambling in US sports.
- Illinois requires bettors to be 21, while Kalshi and Polymarket often allow users from age 18.
- Research links wider access to betting with riskier gambling behavior and mental health concerns.
- Loyola also helps host the annual Latine Problem Gambling Conference.
Loyola University Chicago is offering an undergraduate course that studies how sports betting and prediction markets affect the US sports industry. The class is run by the university’s Quinlan School of Business.
The course launched in Spring 2025 and is led by Noah Henderson. It covers the business, legal and ethical sides of gambling in sports.
The class also prepares students for careers in an industry that is now closely tied to both professional and college sports.
How Gambling Became Part of US Sports
Henderson’s work points to how common gambling has become for sports fans. Betting promotions now show up on television, social media and inside sports venues.
Large operators such as DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM spend heavily on partnerships. These deals connect them with leagues, teams and media companies.
The growth followed a 2018 US Supreme Court ruling in Murphy v. NCAA. The decision struck down federal rules that had kept many states from legalizing sports betting.
Since that ruling, 39 states and Washington, DC have legalized some form of sports betting. Illinois, where Loyola is based, is one of them.
Illinois has its own rules for sports bettors. People must be 21 or older to place bets, and wagers on the state’s own college teams are not allowed.
Prediction market platforms follow different rules. Sites like Kalshi and Polymarket usually allow users starting at age 18 and can offer contracts tied to college sports.
These platforms are overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, rather than state gambling regulators. That has raised questions about whether federal rules can override state limits.
As prediction markets add more sports products, this gap between state and federal rules has become a major regulatory concern.
Course Looks at Gambling Harm and Mental Health
The wider availability of betting products has also raised concerns about gambling-related harm. One study found that growing access to sports betting and prediction markets was linked to riskier gambling behavior.
That research said smartphones make gambling available at almost any time. This removes some of the physical barriers that once limited how often people could bet.
Research on university students has also pointed to mental health problems. A 2008 study of 1,800 students in Mississippi found that about one in four students gambled, and 7% had a gambling problem.
The same study found that students with gambling problems were more likely to report mental health concerns.
Still, the link between gambling and mental health is not simple. Researchers are still working to learn whether people with mental health issues are more likely to gamble, or whether heavy gambling leads to psychological problems.
Loyola has built these issues into its teaching. The sport management course covers addiction, consumer protection and the ethics of promoting gambling, especially to younger and lower-income groups.
The university also takes part in wider problem gambling efforts. Its School of Social Work works with Cicero Family Services and the Illinois Department of Human Services to host the annual Latine Problem Gambling Conference.
