Teens right now are being sucked into a dangerous addiction, fueled by poor choices from money-hungry companies, all unbeknownst to parents.
No, it’s not drugs—it’s sports gambling.
While so many parents are concerned about Zyns, vapes, and marijuana, sports betting is becoming more and more common among high schoolers, spelling out serious consequences if this problem is allowed to grow unchecked.
The reason this has become so exposed to highschoolers is primarily due to how accessible online apps like FanDuel, Prize Picks, and Fliff are. In a similar vein to how vape companies use “fun” flavors to attract attention from teens, all gambling apps like these gamify betting, with leaderboards, rewards, and bonuses. Almost every kid understands those ideas from growing up in a childhood of mobile games, so moving to sports gambling seems to be just a more familiar option to them. Not to mention, the legal barriers placed on these apps are wildly easy for teens to get around, making it far too easy for a kid to make an account and start gambling.
But why is it such an issue? I think many teens invested in sports gambling right now would probably tell you that they make a good amount of money, or that if they do lose some money, it’s not a big deal. The problem lies in the fact that teens, especially boys, who this problem mainly targets, are much more susceptible to developing a problem with gambling. The adrenaline rush of placing a bet and the dopamine hit of that bet being successful impacts younger, developing brains so much more.
As a result, it’s very possible that teens create a habit of throwing ludicrous amounts of money towards sports bets, and they are unable to break that habit as they grow older. Not only that, but I think sports betting is a very easy path to other ways of gambling. Luckily, most teens right now are either 1. Not making enough money to face significant consequences when they inevitably lose it, or 2. They have solid support systems in place if they do lose a significant amount of money. However, as they reach adult life, those built in protections likely go away. Suddenly, they are put in a position where if they lose a lot of money on a bet, the consequences are serious. When I say serious consequences, I don’t just mean their credit score takes a hit or they have to go without dinner for a night. For people with severe gambling addictions, suicide is not uncommon.
On a less serious note, I also think sports gambling goes against everything that sports are for younger people. What I mean by that is whether it’s UFC, college football, the Olympics, or everything in between, the point of watching sports is because it’s fun. Supporting a team, sharing that support with others, those kinds of things are supposed to be fun and exciting. However, once money is involved, all that fun is taken out and replaced by stress, anger, and disappointment. Of course, those emotions can exist because the team or person you are supporting is not doing well, but having money on the line exacerbates those emotions ten-fold, and makes them linger even days after because of the financial loss that may be felt.
Clearly, something needs to be done about this. In my eyes, anyone who doesn’t agree with that statement is blatantly disregarding the lives and futures of so many teens right now. The problem is, the perfect solution is not completely clear. Obviously, the current laws in place against teenagers gambling are not effective in the slightest. In that regard, I don’t think any further restrictions on the legal end are going to necessarily be the solution. What I do think is important, however, is education on why a gambling addiction is so harmful, and how sports gambling at younger ages can lead to that. I suspect that many teens involved in sports gambling aren’t aware of how risky their actions are, and explaining the harm they may be doing to themselves is enough to stop the habit before it becomes worse. In any case, no matter what the solution is, sports gambling in teens needs to be treated as a more serious issue, and if effective action isn’t taken soon, the problem may grow into something beyond control.