SAN DIEGO – Come next summer, the basketball arena at San Diego State University could have a new name, one that worries those who have watched the rise of gambling among young adults.
From the archives
Aztecs' dealings with Barona touch on sensitive issue of gambling (December 15, 2004)
The $4.8 million deal the university signed 12 years ago with Cox Communications expires June 30.
The school is in talks with Cox and several other parties, including the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, which operates a casino and outlet mall 22 miles away in Alpine.
SDSU wouldn't say who else it is talking with about the naming rights to the Cox Arena. “We have many conversations and negotiations under way,” spokesman Jack Beresford said.
A Viejas spokesman said the tribe wouldn't comment on the negotiations.
A Cox spokeswoman said the company was proud of its partnership with the school, but wouldn't say how things are going in its efforts to renew the deal.
The existing contract calls for the cable, Internet and telephone supplier to pay the university $290,000 a year, plus provide $110,000 in advertising.
The Viejas tribe's sponsorships include helping pay for the artificial turf at the Granite Hills High School football field in El Cajon. When it gives money for community causes, it doesn't do so under the name of its casino.
If the tribe did buy the rights, it's unclear whether it would use the word casino, but the possibility of putting the Viejas name on the arena has some worried.
“The 18-24 age group is a high-risk group,” said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Center on Problem Gambling. “We'd be concerned about any additional advertising that targets that group.”
The minimum age to gamble at Viejas is 18. The casino says it trains its workers to look out for people who are having trouble controlling their gambling.
Naming a campus building after a tribe with a casino raises eyebrows, said Alyssa Sklar, a senior research at McGill University in Montreal who specializes on youth with gambling problems.
“It contributes to this normalization of gambling, sort of saying to these very easily influenced age groups of kids, 'This is OK, this is part of your world,' ” she said.
Young adults are three times as likely to be pathological gamblers, she said. Somewhere between 4 and 6 percent have trouble with gambling and an additional 8 to 14 percent are at risk.
The NCAA says it's opposed to anyone betting on college athletics. No California casino, Viejas included, has a sports book.
NCAA athletes and anyone related to varsity sports are not supposed to wager – although a 2003 study found that a third of student-athletes had gambled in the previous year.
But universities can sign deals with gambling interests, NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said.
“While our rules do not allow sports wagering, decisions regarding institutional funding and advertising are under the purview of each university and college, and not under the control of the NCAA,” she said.
SDSU spokesman Greg Block wouldn't comment directly on criticism of a possible deal with Viejas, but said the university looks at “all aspects” of potential partners.
“Viejas has been a great contributor to the betterment of the San Diego community for many years,” he said.
From the archives
Aztecs' dealings with Barona touch on sensitive issue of gambling (December 15, 2004)
The $4.8 million deal the university signed 12 years ago with Cox Communications expires June 30.
The school is in talks with Cox and several other parties, including the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, which operates a casino and outlet mall 22 miles away in Alpine.
SDSU wouldn't say who else it is talking with about the naming rights to the Cox Arena. “We have many conversations and negotiations under way,” spokesman Jack Beresford said.
A Viejas spokesman said the tribe wouldn't comment on the negotiations.
A Cox spokeswoman said the company was proud of its partnership with the school, but wouldn't say how things are going in its efforts to renew the deal.
The existing contract calls for the cable, Internet and telephone supplier to pay the university $290,000 a year, plus provide $110,000 in advertising.
The Viejas tribe's sponsorships include helping pay for the artificial turf at the Granite Hills High School football field in El Cajon. When it gives money for community causes, it doesn't do so under the name of its casino.
If the tribe did buy the rights, it's unclear whether it would use the word casino, but the possibility of putting the Viejas name on the arena has some worried.
“The 18-24 age group is a high-risk group,” said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Center on Problem Gambling. “We'd be concerned about any additional advertising that targets that group.”
The minimum age to gamble at Viejas is 18. The casino says it trains its workers to look out for people who are having trouble controlling their gambling.
Naming a campus building after a tribe with a casino raises eyebrows, said Alyssa Sklar, a senior research at McGill University in Montreal who specializes on youth with gambling problems.
“It contributes to this normalization of gambling, sort of saying to these very easily influenced age groups of kids, 'This is OK, this is part of your world,' ” she said.
Young adults are three times as likely to be pathological gamblers, she said. Somewhere between 4 and 6 percent have trouble with gambling and an additional 8 to 14 percent are at risk.
The NCAA says it's opposed to anyone betting on college athletics. No California casino, Viejas included, has a sports book.
NCAA athletes and anyone related to varsity sports are not supposed to wager – although a 2003 study found that a third of student-athletes had gambled in the previous year.
But universities can sign deals with gambling interests, NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said.
“While our rules do not allow sports wagering, decisions regarding institutional funding and advertising are under the purview of each university and college, and not under the control of the NCAA,” she said.
SDSU spokesman Greg Block wouldn't comment directly on criticism of a possible deal with Viejas, but said the university looks at “all aspects” of potential partners.
“Viejas has been a great contributor to the betterment of the San Diego community for many years,” he said.