Sports gambling poses risks for teen bettors

By William Holt

April 16, 2026

Youthcast Media Group®

Gamblers have spent nearly $500 billion on sports betting since it became legalized in the US in 2018. The passion for sports gambling has reached younger and younger bettors. Experts warn it could lead to a new generation of problem gamblers who can face broken relationships, lost jobs and even jail time.

Sports gambling is an increasingly big problem in the United States, particularly with teenagers and young adults, and is a growing challenge for Northern Virginia families, according to Shana Storms, a Fairfax County addiction therapist who specializes in gambling addiction. “One of the most serious issues I’ve seen is kids who didn't graduate college or weren't able to pass classes” because of gambling problems,” she says.

The problem isn’t limited to Northern Virginia. Ninety percent of high school students surveyed by the New York Council on Problem Gambling said they’d gambled at least once in the past year.  More than 40% of 14-to 17-year-old boys have gambled in the last 12 months, and 14% of these teens have done some kind of sports-related gambling, according to a 2026 study by Common Sense Media.

Still illegal for minors, but teens find ways to bypass laws

Every state has different laws on sports betting, after a 2018 Supreme Court decision struck down the federal ban on the practice. In 38 states, sports betting is legal, and while in most states you must be at least 21 years old to bet, there are seven states (including the District of Columbia) where you can bet at 18, according to sports betting research site RG.

Despite the law, though, it’s still very easy to bypass the age requirement on many sports betting websites. 

“A teen that's 16 or 17 or 15 couldn't get into a casino, most likely, but on a computer, they're only going to ask for your birthday. There's no sort of verification of who they really are,” said Storms.

That means teens can easily bet, without their parents’ knowledge. 

“I made my first bet in October of 2021 when I was a junior in high school,” said a Virginia college student who preferred to remain anonymous to discuss his underage betting.

“Not as many of my friends gambled at the time, given the age constraint, but those that had the ability to gamble gambled quite a bit, primarily on player props in sports like football and basketball,” he said.

There are some efforts underway to curb underage sports betting, or to help teens better understand the financial risk.

The state of New York is looking into potential biometric fingerprint/retina scanning for age identification. Officials there are also considering implementing some restrictions that involve artificial intelligence (AI). These safeguards for sports betting have been publicly endorsed by both state regulators and major sportsbook operators.

And in some schools, classes on financial literacy are focused on teaching students the mathematical underpinnings of gambling and how dangerous it can be. 

Storms says warning signs that children may be gambling include behaviors that are also very typical of teens generally such as staring at their laptop, isolating in their bedrooms and constantly looking at their cell phones.

Many sports websites, including giants such as ESPN, push betting on games as part of their product. ESPN has betting odds and point spreads at the bottom of the screen during every game. The company also has a separate app called ESPN bet, where fans can bet on teams and players.

But underage gambling is not the only problem with legalizing sports gambling in the United States– players can become ensnared, too. Even a small bet can destroy a very good player’s career: Emmanuel Clase is a three-time all-star, two-time AL relief pitcher of the year, and former closing pitcher of the Cleveland Guardians, has been accused of rigging 48 games dating back to 2023 for financial gain. 

Whether it’s a player’s career, an unknown person’s life, or any sports fan, gambling on sports is a very dangerous thing to do because of the monetary risks, and starting before your state’s legal age could increase those risks due to the addictive nature of sports gambling, experts say. While most boys deny significant harm from gambling, 27% of those who gamble report negative effects, according to the Common Sense Media report.

“You see people crowing about their wins, but there's a really good reason that most people in even the short term – like a three month range–  lose a crapload of money,” said Sahil Talwar, an engineer in McLean, Va. and co-founder of BetsBooster, an app that helps sports gamblers earn money in a low-risk setting by using arbitrage betting.

Storms says the parents of her underage clients often have very different reactions to learning that their child is gambling, from disbelief and denial to fear and a desire to fix the problem, which can sometimes only enable the behavior. 

“They'll start out with, like, ‘no, that didn't really happen,’ or, ‘Oh, I'm gonna give them the $1,000 so they can get back on their savings account,’" she said.

At some point, a client's parents start to set rules and boundaries like “I need your sign in. I need your password. You're not allowed to use your phone. You have to keep your door open," said Storms.

Still, experts say, it’s far too easy for teens to illegally gamble online. 

Making it this easy for teens to gamble is “crazy,” says Talwar. 

“We know that gambling is addictive,” he said. “It would be tantamount to giving them access to alcohol or any other super-addictive substance,” at a time when developmentally, teens are still learning how to regulate emotions and find healthy coping mechanisms. 

“The idea that we are allowing kids to gamble, to me, is bananas,” he said. “Like, there's a reason casinos don't allow kids, right? So why does sports betting?” 

William Holt is a sophomore at Annandale High School, one of Youthcast Media Group’s journalism class partners.