Online Sports Gambling Risks Among Gen-Z Youth |
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Online sports gambling has skyrocketed among Gen Z young adults, with the largest increase in men.
Increases in online betting are due to the use of smartphones, micro-betting, social media, and advertising.
Research indicates that online sports gamblers are at higher risk of gambling disorder.
There are measures betters can use to set limits on their betting and control impulsive behavior.
Co-Author: Charles Spenser Egnatz
“You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, and know when to run….” —Kenny Rogers, The Gambler
Online sports betting is skyrocketing. And the population at greatest risk for use, misuse, and possible future gambling addiction is Gen Z youth, ages 18-29. The 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament is estimated to handle $3.3-4 billion dollars in wagering. While many young adults have been betting online for years, the ability to bet continuously and in the moment has escalated with the advent of many new sports betting apps.
The increase in online sports gambling is likely due to:
Smartphone betting, with instant access anywhere, anytime
Micro-bets and live betting—the ability to bet on each play or possession
Integration with social media: Influencers post bets, share their “best bets," and brag about their winnings
Advertising during games, including celebrities promoting betting
Peer influence—many young people are encouraging others to jump in
All of this adds to the promotion and pressure to join in the fun. But this fun can be dangerous. It may include risk factors that could lead to compulsive gambling. Some of these influences include:
Push notifications on smartphones indicating that you “almost won” (stimulating increased engagement in betting)
Impulses to chase losses
Apps with free bets and sign-up bonuses
Parlay betting, or the ability to bet small stakes on a specific combination of outcomes, potentially leading to big wins. However, the house usually wins, and odds are stacked against participants
Recent research has demonstrated that the explosion of online sports betting leads to gambling addiction. The rate of gambling addiction through sports gambling is twice as high as for other forms of gambling. The same research indicates that young adults are significantly at risk, particularly men.
Gambling Disorder includes the following criteria if it leads to clinically significant impairment based on 4 or more of the following criteria in the past 12 months:
1. Needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement.
2. Is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling.
3. Has made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling.
4. Is often preoccupied with gambling (e.g., having persistent thoughts of reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble).
5. Often gambles when feeling distressed (e.g., helpless, guilty, anxious, depressed).
6. After losing money gambling, often returns another day to get even (“chasing” one’s losses).
7. Lies to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling.
8. Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling.
9. Relies on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situations caused by gambling.
10. Many of these criteria can be observed by friends, family, or close personal caregivers.
There are some clear guidelines for preventing or at least containing online sports betting:
Do not gamble if you are in a distressed emotional state.
Beware of gambling if under the influence of substances.
Use limit setting tools that are part of most online gaming apps, such as deposit limits, spending limits, and time limits.
Use cooling off or time-out checks.
Turn off push notifications.
Refrain from parlay bets.
Use third-party apps that help you control your online gambling.
What Is a Compulsive Behavior?
Take our Do You Know the Facts About BFRBs?
Find an Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD) Therapist
What Can Parents and Caregivers Do?
Since young adults are at greatest risk, parents and all caregivers can provide support in many ways:
Have ongoing and frequent conversations about gambling, including focusing on the financial risks and game design that leads to addiction, rather than moral lectures.
Ask about their experience of online betting: What is your experience? What do you find so compelling? What have you learned about it? What do you think are its dangers? And be sure to address these open-ended questions with curiosity and empathy but without judgment. We cannot help our young people if we do not understand the appeal of their use of digital media.
Encourage your young people to monitor their payment systems, and offer to help with this (be aware of using PayPal, Venmo, credit cards, or crypto transactions)
Encourage watching sports for entertainment, rather than possible income.
Enlist siblings, peers, mentors, and trusted family friends and relatives to participate in the dialogue.
If you have a friend or contact who can explain probability and odds, see if your adult child would talk with them to become more literate about gambling.
Remember that there are national support resources for those who may be in need of help with problem gambling, including: the National Council on Problem Gambling; Gamblers Anonymous, or 1-800-GAMBLER.
Online sports betting is very different than what Kenny Rogers sang about. You can walk away or run from a gambling table but just try to walk away or run from your smartphone! Few of us can do this anytime, no less than when we are caught up in a betting frenzy.
The problem of online betting is yet another side of digital media we all need to be aware of. This major frontier has invaded our lives so quickly that few of us can truly understand how to take control of it before it takes control of someone close to us.
Let’s add online betting to our understanding of the use and misuse of social media, apps, and the internet.
Previously posted on the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at The Massachusetts General Hospital
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