Teen Sports Gambling May Lead to Addictive Behaviors and Severe Financial Losses: Report

Survey found that 12% of boys ages 11 to 17 reported participating in sports related gambling, and nearly 90% of those who experienced high losses said they bet at least monthly.

A new study suggests that sports betting is reaching teens at increasingly younger ages, prompting warnings that early exposure could fuel addictive behavior and severe financial losses later in life.

That concern is at the center of new research released late last month by Common Sense Media titled Betting on Boys: Understanding Gambling Among Adolescent Boys, which found that out of more than 1,000 surveyed participants, more than one-third of adolescent boys between the ages of 11 to 17 reported gambling in the past year, with exposure rising sharply among older teens.

Sports Betting Addiction Concerns

Online sports betting has rapidly expanded across the United States since the Supreme Court cleared the way for state legalization in 2018, with mobile wagering now legal in most states.

The introduction of betting apps like DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and others has made gambling available around the clock, allowing users to place wagers instantly from their phones while watching live games. Critics argue this ease of access has fundamentally changed gambling behavior, particularly for younger users who have grown up with smartphones and digital payment systems.

College students and young adults have been a central focus of predatory sports betting marketing campaigns, according to consumer advocates. Platforms like DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM have flooded social media, sports broadcasts and campus-adjacent media with promotions offering risk-free bets, deposit matches and bonus credits. Critics say these tactics have helped normalize gambling among young users who are often managing money independently for the first time and may underestimate the financial risks involved.

As concerns over addiction have grown, sports betting addiction lawsuits are now being filed alleging that major platforms intentionally designed their apps to fuel gambling addiction and catastrophic financial losses. Plaintiffs claim the apps used personalized incentives, frequent notifications and aggressive promotions to keep users betting, even as losses mounted.

Several lawsuits describe young adults who accumulated tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, alleging sportsbooks failed to implement safeguards or intervene when gambling behavior escalated.

The Common Sense Media study looked at how adolescent boys are exposed to gambling across modern digital environments, including gaming features like loot boxes, traditional wagering and sports betting. While many of these activities are often dismissed as casual or low-risk, researchers warned they may influence how teens learn to think about money, chance and reward by making gambling-like experiences a routine part of everyday entertainment.

Based on a nationally representative survey of more than 1,000 boys ages 11 to 17 conducted in July 2025, the research examined gambling exposure through social media, gaming platforms and sports-related content. Although many teens described their participation as occasional, the data showed that frequent exposure was associated with higher spending, overspending and greater financial losses, particularly among older adolescents.

While the study does not conclude that early gambling exposure causes addiction, it underscores how repeated participation and constant visibility may shape teen behavior in ways that critics warn could increase the risk of more harmful gambling patterns over time, including sports betting.

Teen Sports Betting Behaviors

According to the findings, sports-related gambling was frequent among teens who participated in the survey. Overall, 12% of boys ages 11 to 17 reported taking part in sports-related gambling, with participation rising modestly among older adolescents.

Among boys who gambled in any form, sports betting played a significant role. About one-third (34%) said sports-related gambling was part of their activity, including:

• Season-long contests such as fantasy leagues or March Madness brackets (23%)
• Traditional sports betting or fantasy sports for money (9%)
• In-game betting tied to live sporting events (6%)

While these activities were often framed as entertainment or competition, frequency data suggested more sustained engagement. Six in 10 boys who participated in sports-related gambling reported doing so at least monthly, indicating that sports betting often became a recurring behavior rather than a one-time experience.

Among higher-loss gamblers, nearly 90% reported monthly or more frequent sports-related gambling.

Furthermore, the survey indicates that exposure to sports betting media and advertising material was widespread, finding:

• 57% of boys saw gambling ads during live or streaming sports broadcasts
• 61% encountered gambling ads on YouTube
• 60% saw gambling promotions on social media

Although most boys said ads did not directly prompt them to gamble, 7% reported gambling after seeing an advertisement, a figure researchers noted may still be significant at the population level.

Youth Problem Gambling Addiction & Harm

Scientific research and public health authorities have long recognized that gambling poses real risks for adolescents, not just because of money lost, but because of how early exposure may interact with brain development and behavior.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health notes that gambling disorders can begin in children as young as 10, and that problem gambling affects about 4-8% of youths, compared with roughly 1% of adults. By the time students reach high school, 60%-80% report having gambled at least once in the past year, underscoring how common these behaviors have become.

Officials also highlight that when teens experiment with gambling, it exists alongside other risky behaviors such as substance use, and like those risks, early gambling exposure may increase the likelihood of addiction later in life.

Additionally, research cited by the agency shows that children introduced to “harmless betting” by age 12 are four times more likely to engage in problem gambling later, a risk that critics say is heightened when betting starts before impulse-control circuits are fully developed.

Scientific research has further found that gambling can alter how the brain processes reward and self-control, reinforcing addictive behavior in ways similar to substance dependence. Brain imaging studies show that repeated gambling activity can weaken impulse control while heightening responses to betting cues, making it harder for some individuals to stop once gambling escalates.

Experts warn these findings are especially concerning for teens, whose brains are still developing in areas tied to judgment, risk-taking and self-regulation.

Adolescent and Young Adult Sports Gambling Lawsuits

As evidence mounts that sports gambling has disproportionately impacted teens and young adults, a growing number of sports betting addiction lawsuits are now being filed against major online sportsbooks. These cases allege that betting companies knowingly designed and marketed their platforms in ways that encouraged compulsive gambling among younger users, despite clear warning signs of addiction and financial distress.

According to the lawsuits, sportsbooks relied heavily on social media marketing and app-based engagement tactics to reach college students and young adults. Promotions were frequently pushed through platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, offering so-called “risk-free” bets, limited-time bonuses and constant incentives to place additional wagers. Plaintiffs argue these features were intentionally gamified to mimic mobile games, encouraging impulsive betting, rapid decision-making and repeated use, particularly among users with developing impulse-control systems.

As a result, sports gambling addiction lawsuits are being investigated for individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 who suffered significant financial losses after using online sportsbooks, often exceeding $10,000. Platforms named in ongoing investigations include:

• FanDuel
• DraftKings
• BetMGM
• Caesars
• ESPN Bet
• Bet365
• Fanatics Sportsbook
• PointsBet
• Barstool Sportsbook
• Hard Rock Bet

Sports gambling lawyers are reviewing claims nationwide on behalf of young adults and college students who developed compulsive gambling behavior and experienced financial harm that may have been preventable.