By Gavin Boyle
Experts sound the alarm after a new study revealed that one in three teen boys under the age of 18 has gambled in the past year, and 60% of the age group is being targeted by gambling ads across the internet.
“It’s not surprising. The teenage brain is susceptible to all kinds of things that are novelty seeking,” family therapist Ken Howard said, explaining why teens are drawn to gambling, “Once ensnared, man, it makes it really hard to uncouple, especially if all their friends are doing it.”
“Teens have always been susceptible to the sins of adults,” added Keith Spare, chair of the Kansas City Port Authority Problem Gambling Fund Advisory Committee, discussing how he has seen the gambling industry change throughout his thirty year career. “It’s gone from the one or two casinos to a major business.”
Related: Teen Gambling Increases As More States Legalize Sports Betting
The gambling industry has spread throughout the country in the past eight years after the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in a 2018 ruling. Since then, 38 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized sports betting, and the industry has gone mainstream.
While the spread of gambling has had a negative impact on everyone it has affected, it has had a particularly large impact on teen boys who are bombarded with ads for sports betting. Sports betting ads are seen on nearly every sporting event, while many events are events and teams are now even sponsored by sports betting sites, making it impossible for viewers to escape these ads.
The impact of this legalization is now being seen as one in three American men aged 11 to 17 have admitted to sports betting within the past year.
While sports betting has only recently become legal, teen boys have been the target of gambling for decades through video games. Through means like loot crates, video game companies have hooked young users on gambling for a long time, which has set the stage for real gambling to take hold within this age group.
“Overall, the results [of the study] suggest that, at least to some extent, loot box buying shares similar mental health risk factors with other behavioral addictions,” explained Matthew Flinders, a professor of mental health and co-author of the study. “When it comes to loot boxes, players usually spend real-world money to get random virtual items which may or may not yield a reward. So many experts are already calling for loot boxes to be regulated by existing gambling laws.”
Hopefully those who are able will begin to protect young men from gambling so that their lives are not ruined by this addictive practice before they even turn 18.
Read Next: How Gambling Took Over the Gaming Industry
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