The social harm of new betting houses on high school students’ academic performance

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Author(s): Espadafor, Mar ; Martinez, Sergi

Journal: PLoS One

Year Published: 2021

Date Added: January 10, 2022

This study explored if the academic performance of high schools in Madrid declines after the opening of a new betting house nearby. The researchers compared between schools with and without a new betting house located within 500m. The outcome is schools’ average grade at the standardized state-level exam for university entry. The researchers looked into whether the effect of betting houses is uneven across school types and neighbourhood income levels. The results show that the presence of a new betting house nearby harms the academic performance of public high schools in low-income neighbourhoods. There is no effect on charter schools or public schools in high-income neighbourhoods. This study suggests betting houses increase inequality in education.

Citation: Espadafor, M., & Martínez, S. (2021). The negative consequences of sports betting opportunities on human capital formation: Evidence from Spain. PLoS ONE, 16(10), e0258857. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258857

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258857

Keywords: gambling harm ; gambling venues ; public policy ; social impacts ; sports betting ; vulnerable groups

Topics: Gambling Related Harms ; Sports Betting

Conceptual Framework Factors: Gambling Types ; Environment - Social and Economic Impacts ; Exposure - Accessibility ; Social - Social Demographics ; Gambling Environment ; Gambling Exposure ; Social Factors

Study Design: Spatial Analysis

Geographic Coverage: Spain, Madrid

Study Population: 277 high schools (188 charter and 89 public schools)

Sampling Procedure: The researchers used administrative data detailing the average grade obtained by each school at the standardized state-level exams for university entry. Data were restricted to the period from 2014 to 2017. The researchers used survey data on commuting patterns among Madrid citizens to estimate the average students’ distance to schools, and then the distance from schools to closest betting houses.

Study Funding:

This study was funded by the Swiss Chair in Federalism, Democracy, and International Governance at the Social and Political Science Department of the European University Institute.