SUFFOLK COUNTY (WABC) — A youth gambling addiction crisis in our area and across the county has many experts sounding the alarm.<\/p>\n
With online gambling surging in popularity, many teenagers are placing bets, some of them racking up tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt before they are legally allowed to gamble.<\/p>\n
Ben, who is now 21 and in recovery, was once a compulsive gambler and is sharing his story as a warning to parents.<\/p>\n
It started when he was in 11th grade.<\/p>\n
“My mind was so irrational in those moments that it truly wasn’t me,” Ben said.<\/p>\n
He was a high-performing student who always earned money working through high school and into college. But he also kept a frightening secret for years.<\/p>\n
“It was truly from the age of 16. All of my money was gambled. I would say over $100,000 for sure,” Ben said.<\/p>\n
Ben’s parents had praised his earnings from working.<\/p>\n
At 16-years-old he was allowed to open his own bank account.<\/p>\n
But with his own account, his parents couldn’t track his 6-figure loss.<\/p>\n
“It started with playing poker with my friends,” Ben said.<\/p>\n
By 18-years-old, Ben had gone to a casino.<\/p>\n
“So a lot of your friends were they becoming addicted as well?” Eyewitness News reporter Stacey Sager asked.<\/p>\n
“Everybody,” Ben said.<\/p>\n
“Bob,” who welcomed Ben into Gamblers Anonymous on Long Island just this week, described the troubling trend.<\/p>\n
“Who’s coming in and how young they’re coming in, and how bad their gambling has been in a very early stage. This is stealing lives. It’s stealing futures,” Bob said.<\/p>\n
Those immersed in the sports betting world fear the numbers are reaching a crisis level.<\/p>\n
The numbers really started going up in 2022 when New York State launched online legal sports betting with widespread access for anyone ages 21 and up. But also with some pretending to be of age.<\/p>\n
“It’s not like they’re asking for a birth certificate,” Bob said.<\/p>\n
The New York State Gaming Commission said they are considering all possible ways to stop underage gambling, including “biometric requirements” and “real consequences” for those who share accounts. There has been no word on when these changes would take effect.<\/p>\n
Right now, there are 8 legal online sports betting apps in New York state and they’re exploding in popularity.<\/p>\n
It is not only boys who are betting.<\/p>\n
On other prediction platforms that are not considered gambling, you can bet on everything from what the President will say to what celebrities will wear on the red carpet.<\/p>\n
Educatorsare pleading with parents to be more aware.<\/p>\n
In the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District, a gambling addiction is now also addressed in health class.<\/p>\n
“Gambling addiction is something what we call a silent addiction. You won’t really know it’s happening to somebody because it’s a very private thing,” Joe Braico Plainview-Old Bethpage Athletics and Health Director said.<\/p>\n
Ben hopes his story helps stop a high-stakes trend that no teen should bet on.<\/p>\n
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