A new report sounding the alarm on gambling among minors shows that one in three teenage boys in the United States is now gambling online before they are old enough to vote.
The findings come from a January 2026 Common Sense Media survey of 1,017 boys aged 11 to 17, which found that 36% reported gambling in the past year, rising sharply to 49% among 17-year-olds. The study covered sports wagering, card games, and gaming-related gambling such as loot boxes and gacha-style purchases.
Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, called the results "absolutely astounding and a wake-up call for every parent everywhere." He added that young boys are largely being drawn into the online gambling world through algorithms on social media and video platforms, according to NPR.
The report found that 60% of boys aged 11 to 17 are exposed to gambling advertising on platforms like YouTube and social media, often through algorithmic recommendations rather than direct search.
A major driver of this trend is the rapid legalization of online sports betting across the country. A pivotal 2018 Supreme Court decision allowed individual states to legalize sports betting, opening the door to a wave of betting apps and high-frequency wagering. Today, the in-play betting model allows users to place wagers on every down, pitch, or basket, dramatically increasing the number of opportunities to bet during a single game.
Despite most states requiring bettors to be at least 21 years old, teens are finding workarounds. A New York Post investigation found that some Manhattan high school students were using parents' accounts on platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings, with one 17-year-old estimating that 80% of boys in his class had placed a bet. Some teens have even tapped bar mitzvah savings or rainy-day accounts to fund wagers.
Research published in a 2025 edition of BMC Public Health found that gambling accessibility and media exposure are directly linked to problem gambling behavior in adolescents aged 13 to 18, with sensation-seeking and irrational gambling beliefs acting as key risk factors.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) noted in a November 2025 blog post that adolescents are especially vulnerable to developing gambling disorders due to their heightened reward sensitivity and underdeveloped impulse control, NIDA reported.
Teenagers who gamble are up to four times more likely to develop a problem later in life than peers who do not gamble, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
In the UK, the Gambling Commission's 2025 Young People and Gambling report found that 30% of children aged 11 to 17 had spent money on gambling in the past year, up from 27% in 2024, with the increase largely driven by unregulated gambling.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Michelle Chung, who regularly sees teens affected by gambling in her practice, warned that the issue is quickly becoming "the next health crisis" to emerge among teenage boys.
Problem gambling in adolescents is also associated with other risk behaviors, including alcohol use, drug use, declining school performance, and increased rates of anxiety and depression.
Experts say the solution requires action on multiple fronts. Common Sense Media's Steyer has called for mandatory age verification across all social media platforms and stricter advertising regulations, including restrictions on gambling ads aired during live sports broadcasts watched by children, as per RIPBS.
