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Sports Betting Apps Flood College Campuses, Fuel Addiction Fears

Schools are signing lucrative marketing agreements with betting apps, putting ads in front of students, fans

Louisiana State University Tigers fans cheer during a game. 

Louisiana State University Tigers fans cheer during a game. 

Photographer: Sean Gardner/Getty Images
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Piper Hutchinson isn’t opposed to gambling. But the 25-year-old political communications major says she was “really concerned” with the email she received in January from the athletic department at Louisiana State University.

The message, which was also sent to a large number of LSU fans, encouraged recipients to download the Caesars Sportsbook app. The subject line: “$300 in Free Bets Await.” Hutchinson, a senior, says universities shouldn’t be encouraging their students to gamble.