CHICAGO---A national study commissioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association reveals a "disturbing" frequency of sports wagering among student-athletes, the NCAA announced today.

The NCAA's 2003 National Study on Collegiate Sports Wagering and Associated Health Risks is the most comprehensive of its kind to measure the preponderance of wagering among student athletes. It encompasses responses from approximately 21,000 male and female student-athletes at NCAA member institutions across all three NCAA divisions in most NCAA championship sports.

"The scope of sports wagering among intercollegiate student-athletes is startling and disturbing," said NCAA President Myles Brand. "Sports wagering is a double-threat because it harms the well-being of student-athletes and the integrity of college sports."

Student-athletes were asked a multitude of questions about sports-wagering behaviors and associated health risks, such as alcohol and drug use. The questionnaire was developed with the assistance of Dr. Durand Jacobs, a noted national researcher in the field of youth gambling.

The study's key findings indicate that male student-athletes are engaged in gambling or sports wagering at rates much higher than females student-athletes. Specifically, the data show that almost 35 percent of male student-athletes have engaged in some type of sports wagering behavior in the past year, compared to only 10 percent of female student-athletes.

The survey also shows that Division III student-athletes are the most likely to engage in gambling or sports wagering, followed by Division II student-athletes, while Division I student-athletes were the least likely.

"This finding actually reflects a positive result from the NCAA's current gambling education and enforcement efforts focused on Division I and men's basketball in particular," Brand said, "but more efforts are needed in Divisions II and III."

Other key findings show that football players reported taking part in significant infractions of NCAA gambling bylaws at rates slightly higher than men's basketball players. Specifically, 1.1 percent of football players reported taking money for playing poorly in a game, and 2.3 percent of football players admitted they had been asked to affect the outcome of a game because of gambling debts. Additionally, 1.4 percent of football players admitted having affected the outcome of a game because of gambling debts.

According to the study, the sports with the highest percentages of male student-athletes involved in wagering on collegiate sports are men's golf, wrestling, lacrosse and football. For female student-athletes wagering on collegiate sports, the sports with the highest involvement are golf, lacrosse, basketball and field hockey.

In response to the findings, Brand announced the formation of a national task force to further analyze the study's results and recommend strategies to counteract sports wagering among student athletes. University of Notre Dame President Rev. Edward A. Malloy will serve as task force chair. Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, will serve as vice chair.

"By commissioning this study-the largest examination ever of sports wagering by student-athletes-and by establishing the task force, the NCAA is taking a leadership role at the national level to address this problem among student-athletes before it reaches crisis proportions," Brand said.

Brand said the task force's charge is to develop recommendations with a dual focus of ensuring the well-being of student-athletes as well as the integrity of intercollegiate athletics. The recommendations could include expanding education efforts, proposed NCAA legislation and suggestions for legislation at the state and federal levels, he said.

The task force will also examine the study's findings on associated behaviors that might be indicators or predictors of wagering. Those results are still being analyzed by NCAA research staff. It is anticipated that the study will be replicated in future years in order to understand trends and assess the effectiveness of enforcement and educational programs.

Faculty athletics representatives distributed questionnaires to student-athletes from all NCAA member institutions across all three divisions. The NCAA provided the faculty athletic representatives with specific guidelines for administering the survey. Participation was voluntary and respondents were guaranteed anonymity and confidentiality.

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NCAA Sports Wagering Task Force Charge

The NCAA Sports Wagering Task Force will analyze the NCAA National Study on Collegiate Sports Wagering and Associated Health Risks. Task force members are charged with undertaking a thorough examination of the study's results and submitting a final report with findings and recommendations to NCAA President Myles Brand for consideration by the appropriate NCAA governing bodies.

According to the NCAA's national study, the scope of sports wagering among intercollegiate student-athletes is startling and disturbing. The study shows that male student-athletes are betting at extraordinary rates that are far beyond the rates for female student-athletes; football student-athletes are more involved with sports wagering than basketball student-athletes; and Division's II and III student-athletes are gambling more often than their counterparts at Division I institutions. On the positive side, the study indicates that over the past decade, NCAA educational and enforcement efforts to address sports wagering within Division I and among basketball student-athletes are yielding encouraging results.

Task force recommendations should address the overarching themes of ensuring the well-being of student-athletes and the integrity of intercollegiate athletics. Recommendations may include proposed NCAA legislation and suggestions for legislation at the state and federal levels, as well as institutional best-practice guidelines.

By commissioning this study -- the largest examination ever of sports wagering by student-athletes -- and by establishing this task force, the NCAA is taking a leadership role at the national level to address this growing problem among student-athletes before it reaches crisis proportions.