The cost of becoming a doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional keeps going up. Tuition is high. Loans are hard to get without a cosigner. And the federal government under the Trump administration expanded borrowing limits for some graduate degrees, but that only helps certain students.
So a growing number of healthcare students are looking elsewhere for cash. They are using platforms like Kalshi and FanDuel to bet on elections, sports, or other events. They are not doing it for fun.
A survey of 1,000 healthcare students, conducted from June 16 to 28, 2026, discovered that more than 70% of respondents use such platforms several times per week. Nearly 70% of those surveyed indicated that funding their education or daily expenses was their primary reason for starting.
The survey was commissioned by Clasp, a workforce infrastructure company. CEO Tess Michaels put it bluntly: "These students aren't betting for fun. They're budgeting winnings into their tuition plans, and most of them are barely breaking even."
Many healthcare students face a perfect storm: rising tuition costs, limited federal loan options for certain programs, and private lenders that require a cosigner - a barrier for those without wealthy parents. This leaves few alternatives for covering expenses beyond work, credit, or unconventional income streams like betting.
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Less than half of the healthcare students who use betting platforms reported positive gains. Most are losing money or just scraping by.
The typical win or loss falls between $100 and $1,000, according to the survey. But the extremes are stark. Fourteen respondents reported winning more than $5,000, while two reported losing roughly $5,000.
Over 80% of the survey respondents were women. Among male students, nearly half said they use betting platforms. Among female students, about a fifth said the same.
The financial pressure is serious. Nearly 30% of respondents said they cannot reliably cover one month's expenses. Additionally, 56% of respondents said they rely on other sources like credit cards or money from social media platforms (including TikTok, OnlyFans, YouTube, and Substack) to fund their education and daily costs.
Michaels explained why students end up on betting sites. "Time is really precious in healthcare, and there are different jobs that you can do to try and earn extra cash. And so the fastest routes to being able to get access to cash are probably going to win."
She also pointed out the structural roadblock. "Graduate students require a cosigner to get access to a private loan, which is code for wealthy parents. So if you don't have a wealthy parent, how are you going to supplement [school]? It's through outlets like this."
For the students themselves, the math is tough. Betting platforms offer speed, not stability. And as Michaels noted, the students are "barely breaking even." That is a lot of risk for an outcome that mostly just keeps them afloat.
The question is whether this trend keeps growing. Michaels predicts a potential increase in healthcare students turning to prediction markets, betting, and other unconventional income streams to finance their education. The pressure on tuition and loan access is not going away, so the fastest route to cash will keep winning - even if the house usually wins too.
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