Lin Zhang

Date of Award

5-2008

Document Type

Access Controlled Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Recreation

First Advisor

Dr. Wayne Stormann

Second Advisor

Dr. Erwei Dong

Third Advisor

Dr. Sharon Todd

Abstract

Commercial gambling has existed in the United States ever since the state of Nevada legalized casino gambling in 1931. Under the frequent impacts of gambling promotions, it is not surprising that many college students are participating in gambling related activities during their leisure time. The purpose of this study was to examine the gambling participation of SUNY Cortland students. A total sample of 362 students, including 50.6% male and 49.2% female, were involved in this study. 76.2% of the respondents reported they had gambled at least once during the last school year and 5.6% of them had gambled weekly or more often, which indicated gambling participation was prevalent on SUNY Cortland campus. A majority of students had been engaged in various forms of gambling. Specifically, Turning Stone Resort and Casino (TSRC), the closest casino to the campus, impacted the students’ leisure lifestyle due to the fact that 77.6% of the respondents knew about TSRC and 38.7% of them had been there doing activities. Moreover, male students were more likely to gamble than female students, which was consistent with the previous studies. There was no significant difference of gambling activities among matriculation in terms of freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior. For fun and money were the primary motivations for gambling. This study provides a better understanding of college students gambling in the leisure context.

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