BUFFALO, N.Y. — A study by Common Sense Media found adolescent boys are being lured into gambling with 36% of boys aged 11 to 17 saying they had gambled in the past year. It’s happening on their favorite video games, and in ways we might not expect.

“Quite frankly, there is an epidemic of underage gambling in the United States,” said Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. “And this is a crisis, particularly for boys ages 11 and 17.”

What You Need To Know

Nearly one in four boys participate in game-based activities, like loot boxes or skins, that mimic gambling
Social media algorithmic recommendations are one reason why per Common Sense Media’s study “Betting on Boys: Understanding Gambling Among Adolescent Boys”
In the long term, it’s said this can impact their mental health, and even potentially lead to substance use problems

Jim Steyer is the founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, which published a study called “Betting on Boys: Understanding Gambling Among Adolescent Boys.” The organization surveyed more than 1,000 adolescent boys across the United States in July of last year, and found that 36% of boys gambled in the last year, with that number ranging from nearly a third of 11-year-olds to nearly half of 17-year-olds.

“It’s actually shocking and disgusting,” Steyer said.

Steyer says nearly one in four boys participate in game-based activities, like loot boxes or skins, that mimic gambling.

“You’re seeing 11- and 12-year-olds,” Steyer said. “More than a third of them are now online gambling, probably without their parents’ knowledge, although in some cases they have to use their parent’s credit card to pay for their losses.”

The study found a big reason behind it: algorithmic recommendations.

“Sixty percent of boys see gambling ads on YouTube and social media platforms,” Steyer said.

“Adolescent boys are drawn to more competitive platforms,” said Sarah W., an assistant program director for the Lower West Side Counseling Center, who oversees the Problem Gambling Program for BestSelf Behavioral Health. “So sports video gaming, things like that. And that’s where most of these, like, gambling mechanisms are showing up. So these, these boys whose brains aren’t fully developed yet are being exposed, and basically having gambling normalized.”

She explains how that risk-reward behavior impacts young brains.

“Gambling affects the same pathways in the brain as substance use,” Sarah said. “So when an adolescent or an adult is gambling, that pathway is activated, releasing that dopamine.”

She adds that in children and young adults, parts of the brain that govern impulse control, long-term decision-making, and understanding consequences aren’t fully developed.

“That’s the scariest part, is that a lot of kids don’t realize that the behaviors that they’re engaging in and what they’re playing online or in video games is essentially gambling,” Sarah said.

As a boy mom, she’s learning it goes beyond the computer screen, too.

“Even Pokémon, if you want to buy a pack of Pokémon cards, you might not get the card that you want, but are you willing to spend another $7, another $8?” she asked.

This is where the money chat comes in — never spend what you don’t have, and have your child spend their own money.

“They’re taking it out of their little piggy bank, they can kind of get a better understanding of, ‘Oh, that was $8, I don’t really want to lose that again,’ ” Sarah said.

Sarah says that if their vocabulary includes odds and betting; you see their mood is changing after playing; or they keep asking for money, maybe it’s time to step away from the screen.

“There are serious long-term consequences to gambling,” Sarah said. “It can affect their mental health overall. It can even potentially lead to substance use problems.”

“But in the end of the day, this is a crisis that we don’t need, and we all, as parents and educators, and citizens, need to stand up to the gambling industry,” Steyer said. “Period. Full stop.”

And some states are. Steyer says in California, the “Protecting Our Kids from Gambling Addiction Act” has been recently introduced. It prohibits operators from providing gambling or predictive market wagering to minors, among other stipulations. 

New York is moving to crack down on underage sports betting and problem gambling. Gov. Kathy Hochul has previewed new measures that would block minors from accessing betting apps and limit how companies target users. The proposal would require stricter age verification, biometric identification and even preventing gambling apps from being downloaded on devices used by underage New Yorkers.

Steyer says he has been in talks with New York leaders as well and will help support any legislation that comes down the pipeline.