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Youth Gambling, Hiding in Plain Sight

“A new study from Common Sense Media finds that 36% of boys ages 11 to 17 reported gambling in the past year—ranging from sports betting and card games to online gaming-related gambling through loot boxes and gacha pulls.”    

 If you don’t have time ⏳ to read the full blog, no worries. Click the link and watch the short 5-minute video on youth gambling instead. It’s quick, real, and straight to the point. 

 reported by NBC’s Kate Snow on TODAY.


When I first read that headline, I had to stop and ask myself—is this shocking?

I’m no psychologist or PhD student, but I am a professional who has spent the past eight weeks working directly with a group of 15 middle school students. Many of these youth have either gambled themselves or have been exposed to gambling through family members. What I observed during this time was both eye-opening and deeply concerning—and closely mirrored the findings shared in that national study.

For many of us, gambling brings to mind casinos or card games like spades and blackjack at family cookouts. But gambling today looks very different. It now includes sports betting apps, video games with loot boxes, and constant access through smartphones. Sports betting was legalized in 2018 for adults 18 and older—yet youth ages 11 to 17 are still finding ways to participate. From my experience, this often happens when parents or family members allow youth to use their personal information, which is illegal and could lead young people to have a gambling problem. 

Working with high school students around gambling prevention has always been eye-opening, but working with middle school students truly took my breath away. I believed middle school programming was “true prevention,” but I quickly learned that many of these students were already gambling at the same levels as older youth. What surprised me most was that gambling went far beyond video games. Youth shared that they were betting on sports, shoes, snacks, and more.

To better understand what was happening, I conducted a focus group. About 33% of the students—roughly one in three—shared that they had participated in some form of gambling. That statistic alone raises serious concerns. When asked who first exposed them to gambling, some students pointed to social media, describing the bold colors, sounds of money, and the promise of winning big. Others shared that their exposure came from parents or family members, which was especially disturbing. 

When asked where the money came from to support their gambling, students shared it was from good grades, birthdays, holidays, or chores. When asked if their parents cared how they spent that money, many responded, “It’s my money, and my parents don’t care as long as I’m spending my own.” That response highlighted a major disconnect—too much freedom without enough guidance.

Throughout the eight-week program, additional activities helped shed light on what youth truly care about. Three themes consistently rose to the top: family, mental health, and being successful in life. These insights reinforced something I see often—young people want to be heard, understood, and supported, yet adults don’t always take the time to truly listen.


The final activity of the program was the Reality Life Store, one of my favorite sessions because it brought together gambling prevention, healthy decision-making, and money management in a hands-on way. Students were given a $100 in Monopoly money budget and worked through 11 real-world scenarios, including transportation, phone bills, and saving for the future. Many students finished the activity with more than $20 remaining, which led to an important reflection: are certain financial responsibilities overlooked because adults typically manage them? This activity opened the door to meaningful conversations about financial literacy, independence, and real-world accountability.

Reflection: After eight weeks of working closely with these students, one thing became clear: gambling prevention cannot start in high school—it must begin much earlier. The behaviors, beliefs, and exposures are already present by middle school, often normalized through family influence, social media, and everyday technology. What stood out most to me was not just how common gambling had become, but how rarely it was being discussed at home in a meaningful way. These youth are not reckless; they are curious, observant, and deeply aware of their surroundings. They want guidance, boundaries, and honest conversations. If we truly want to protect young people, we must move beyond assumptions and start listening, educating, and holding ourselves accountable as adults. Prevention works best when we meet youth where they are—before the risks become habits and before the consequences become permanent.



Jada Young
Shawnee Transformation Youth Coalition
Project Coordinator, Bet on Yourself

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