Today’s children have grown up in a world dominated by technology and as a result have faced pitfalls that many of their parents never had to consider when they were growing up. The latest tempting vice is online gambling. Teens are very familiar with the explosion of apps that make it easy to bet on almost anything, ranging from sports games, individual plays, international politics, and awards show flubs. Young people are specifically at risk for gambling addiction because their brains are still developing, they are often impulsive and think they have more control over outcomes than they really do, and their risk-taking tendencies can set them up for excessive online gambling.

How common is teen gambling?

In a 2026 survey from Common Sense Media, a third of boys in the U.S. between age 11 and 17 (36%) reported gambling within the past year, including online sports betting, lottery tickets and poker games with friends. Consider these facts:

• By the time they get to high school, over 60% of students report that they have gambled at least once.
• Boys are starting gambling as young as 10-years-old.
• Nearly half (45%) of adolescent boys who gamble also see online gambling content, mostly through algorithmic exposure (59%), and those who watch this content frequently spend more on gambling than nonviewers ($72 vs. $33).
• Online gaming is the most common context in which boys encounter gambling-like systems, with 23% of all boys participating in game-based activities that mimic gambling.
• Sixty-one percent of boys have seen gambling ads on YouTube, and 60% on social media, while 57% notice them during live or streaming sports broadcasts.
• According to a 2024 study by the American Psychology Association, about one in eight people with gambling problems will attempt suicide over the course of a lifetime. It’s actually the highest suicide rate among all the different types of addictions.

Why is gambling a problem?

Teen gambling is a serious problem because it can lead to addiction, financial ruin, mental health crises and poor academic performance. In addition, many teens don’t consider gambling risky – they perceive it as just another computer game or as a quick, easy way to make money. Contributing to the problem is that young people have so little experience with finances, they don’t understand the true impact of their losses. Teens are groomed for gambling through things like fantasy sports, loot boxes in video games, social casino apps, or watching streamers gamble.

Addiction might sound like a stretch to those who only associate the concept with substance abuse, but researchers have shown through brain imaging that the same parts of the brain light up when abusing drugs and gambling. As with other kinds of addiction, not everyone who places a bet ends up having a life-altering gambling problem, but online betting’s instant gratification makes it very easy for young people to get hooked. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement when watching the game with friends, and even lose track of how much you’re betting, especially with in-play bets. Sports-betting apps, in particular, are very clever with their marketing to make a bettor feel like they have an edge on the competition.

There are many cautionary tales about how gambling can ruin a young person’s life. Saul Malek tours the country talking to middle and high school students about his experiences with gambling. He says that a simple bet of $10 on a baseball game in high school led to a gambling debt of $25,000 by the time he was 21. Kurt Freudenberg was just 11 when he started gambling and it quickly escalated into betting thousands of dollars a day. Freudenberg’s parents had no idea he was betting online until they discovered that he stopped going to class in college in order to gamble more.

Next week’s blog will discuss how to talk to your teens about online gambling.

How are teens allowed to gamble underage?

Technically, a bettor must be age 21 to gamble in the U.S. While this age restriction can be enforced in a real-life casino, the explosion of online gambling has made it easier than ever for kids to place wagers — often without parental permission. While most apps and websites have age restrictions, underage bettors have found many work-arounds, such as:

• Older siblings or peers who have found a way in, will essentially act as bookies and take bets from other kids.
• Children have used the personal information of an older relative to create accounts.
• Offshore crypto casinos, which are heavily promoted by celebrities and social media influencers, require no age verification at all.
• In some cases, parents allow their child access to their own accounts without realizing how frequently their kids are using them.

What signs indicate a teen might be struggling with gambling?

Parents are often in the dark that their child is gambling. Teens are on their phones all the time, so gambling looks no different to an observer than texting friends or playing a video game. Below are some red flags that parents can look for:

• Secrecy related to online activities – if your teen covers up their screen whenever you’re near or hedges answering what they’re doing online when asked
• Increased interest in a new sport – if your teen is frequently checking the stats on sports they never used to care about or seems really upset about a random sports match they usually wouldn’t be interested in
• Strange money behavior – if large sums of money seem to be missing or showing up out of nowhere, or if your teen begins asking for money or owing money to others
• Constant phone checking during sporting events or awards shows
• Interest in gambling conversations – if your teen suddenly seems interested in any discussions related to betting
• Additional warning signs that can indicate a wide number of possible problems, gambling included, are:
  • Failure to take care of themselves – if your teen is staying up late, skipping meals, forgetting to shower, or not taking care of their bodies
  • Academic struggles – if your teen’s grades drop
  • Withdrawal from relationships and/or activities – if your teen disengages from friends, hobbies, or extracurriculars

What do I do if I discover my child is gambling?

Honestly, if your child is gambling, it’s important that they get professional therapy. Seeing a mental health professional can be scary, so you need to find a reason that motivates your teen. Use the truths that you see, such as, ‘You’re losing a lot of money,’ or, ‘I’ve noticed you’re not having as much fun watching games anymore,’ or, ‘You lost your friends’ money and now they’re angry at you.’ You don’t have to say that you think they have a ‘problem,’ but rather that you want to get ahead of potential issues that might impact their future.

Final Thoughts…

The key takeaways for parents are that, despite age limits, many teens – especially boys – are gambling online, and because their brains are still developing, they run a higher risk of developing a problem and/or addiction from this early exposure. Unfortunately, because teens are on their phone so much, it’s almost impossible for parents to know that their teens are gambling, which is why it’s so important that parents talk to their children about the risks involved. Talking openly to kids about gambling doesn’t encourage them to do it — it helps protect them.