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In Case You Missed It: Pew Research Report: With Online Sports Betting Now Legal In Many States, Study Finds Gambling Addiction Growing Among Kids and High School Students

In Case You Missed It: Pew Research Report: With Online Sports Betting Now Legal In Many States, Study Finds Gambling Addiction Growing Among Kids and High School Students

Sacramento, CA – Last week, the Pew Charitable Trusts highlighted a concerning pattern sparked by the legalization of mobile sports betting across the U.S. – the increasing number of high school students struggling with gambling addiction. This report should serve as a dire warning as California voters consider Prop 27 which would amount to a massive expansion of gambling.

Experts, including from the National Council on Problem Gambling, weighed in to discuss how the ease of online sports gambling apps has resulted in the percentage of high school students with a gambling problem double that of adults. According to the group, 4-6 percent of high school students are addicted to gambling.

This research tracks with research from the Journal of Gambling Issues which found the accelerated speed of play and easily accessible nature of online and mobile gambling are especially attractive to youth.

Below are excerpts from Pew Charitable Trusts’ “As Sports Betting Grows, States Tackle Teenage Problem Gambling:”

• “[B]etween 60% and 80% of high school students report having gambled for money in the past year, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. The group says the pandemic and easy access to online gambling have heightened risks for young adults.”
• “4% to 6% of high schoolers are considered addicted to gambling…”
• “‘We believe that the risks for gambling addiction overall have grown 30% from 2018 to 2021, with the risk concentrated among young males 18 to 24 who are sports bettors,’ said Keith Whyte, the [National Council on Problem Gaming]’s executive director, in an interview.”
• “The percentage of high school students with a gambling problem is double that of adults, research has found. About 5% of all young people between 11 and 17 meet at least one of the criteria for a gambling problem, such as liking the rush felt when gambling, writing IOUs to stay in the game and wanting to win ‘the big one’ so much that they keep playing even when losing a great deal.”
• “‘A lot of youth don’t think of gambling as a problem. They don’t think it’s a risky behavior,’ said Heather Eshleman, who, as prevention manager at the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, works with teens in several community settings.”

Background:

Out-of-state, online gambling corporations like DraftKings and FanDuel are behind Prop 27 – a deceptive November 2022 ballot measure that would legalize online and mobile sports gambling in California – turning virtually every cell phone, laptop and tablet into a gambling device.

Prop 27 is opposed by a broad coalition of California Indian tribes, educators, civil rights and public safety leaders, and advocates for the homeless.