Sports betting is reportedly now a big part of modern high school culture in New York. Kids are finding ways around the minimum age requirement of 21 years old, such as using offshore gambling sites.
up to 90% of high schoolers have placed at least one wager over the last 12 months
The New York Council on Problem Gambling estimated that up to 90% of high schoolers have placed at least one wager over the last 12 months. The New York Post spoke with a 17-year-old student who described how watching any big sporting event leads to frustration among his peers over unsuccessful wagers. He remarked that some kids he knows use their savings or Bar Mitzvah money to fund their betting.
Parents, school administrators, and addiction experts are concerned about this growing trend, especially as underage people are more susceptible to problematic gambling behavior because their risk-and-reward centers haven’t fully developed. Some experts believe the proliferation of sports betting ads is a big reason for the normalization of the activity. Major operators like DraftKings and FanDuel spend more than $1bn every year on advertising through mediums like infomercials, stadium displays, and commercials during live sports broadcasts.
