Online Gambling Among Youth

3 min readNov 7, 2021

Some teenagers are racking up debts of $30,000 through online sports betting, and the number of young people asking for help has doubled in three years, the University of Sydney’s Gambling. Problem gambling is most common in young males (2.9% in males aged 25–34 and 1.9% in males aged 18–24). The prevalence of problem gambling in females is less than 1% in all age groups. In response to the DSM-IV problem gambling questionnaire, 4.7% of males and 1.7% of females reporting chasing losses in the last 12 months.

For most youth, gaming isn’t a problem. For some, it turns into more than just a game.

Did you know that the definition of “gambling” is “risking money or something of value on the hopes of obtaining something of greater value” (APA, 2013)? Many teens risk something — whether it’s real money, soda, or virtual coins–on trying to get something more (whether that’s money or in-game rewards, or something else).

Among those most likely to engage: young people. This article examines the relationship between the purchase of loot boxes, gambling behavior, and problem gambling among young people ages 16–24. Cross-sectional data were analyzed from wave 1 of the Emerging Adults Gambling Survey, an online survey of 3,549 people, aged 16–24. Casino.com: 100% up to £100 + Online Gambling Among Youth 200 spins Sign up today to get 20 no deposit free spins and have your first deposit matched 100% up to £100 + 180 spins at Casino.com! $31 NO DEPOSIT BONUS.

Prevention experts know, like with alcohol and drugs, that the earlier on in life a person begins to gamble, the more likely that individual is to develop a problem later in life.

Kids who play casino-like video games for free are also more likely to start gambling (King, et al., 2010).

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Thousands of teens in Oregon already show signs of problems with gambling.

Parents, educators, and other adults should consider the potential pitfalls of gambling among our youth.

Consider that young people don’t always yet have the best coping or decision-making skills. Young people can easily hide a gambling problem. And for many, the problem develops over several years. Many person with a gambling problems say they started out gambling at an early age–approximately 10 years old (Gupta & Derevensky, 2001; Gupta & Derevensky, 1998a). With no needle marks, drowsy walking, bloodshot eyes, or other tell-tale signs, a young person who has a gambling problem can easily hide it.

Adolescent brains offer a perfect environment for gambling with their preference for high activity low effort/high stimulation. Add to that the fact that parents and schools often aren’t talking to kids about the risks, and you can see why there is concern. Too often we hear “Kids gambling too much? No way…if they were we’d know it;” yet data from the Oregon Healthy Teens survey and other research tell a very different story:
Most Oregon adolescents (63 percent) have gambled; their preferred games include free Internet gambling-type games, cards (poker), sports bets, and games of personal skill (Volberg, 2008).
One youth per classroom already has a (hidden) gambling problem (Volberg, 2008)

Teens who gamble have higher rates of:

Alcohol & binge drinking (Student Wellness Survey, 2016)
Drug use, including marijuana (Student Wellness Survey, 2016)
Suicidal thoughts and attempts (Student Wellness Survey, 2016)
School problems (e.g., lower grades, truancy, behavior issues; Student Wellness Survey, 2016)
Depression (Student Wellness Survey, 2016)
Thoughts about suicide (Student Wellness Survey, 2014)
Family problems (e.g., withdrawal, behavior issues)
Peer relationship problems
Legal and money troubles
Dissociative, “escape” behaviors

Sources: 2014 Oregon Student Wellness Survey Data, Oregon Healthy Teens, Gupta &Derevensky; 1998a; Gupta & Derevensky, 1998b; Vitaro, Ferland, Jacques &Ladouceur, 1998; Wallisch & Liu, 1996; Winters & Anderson, 2000; Wynne, Smith, & Jacobs, 1996.