Young adults are starting to gamble earlier than ever before, with 33% of people aged 21-44 reporting having placed a sports bet before turning 21, a number that triples the figure for adults aged 55 years or older.
This data point comes from a National Council on Problem Gambling survey that also emphasizes the rarity of healthcare screening for gambling behaviors.
With the rapid rise of instant-access sports betting, it is important, now more than ever, that America keeps an eye on what gambling advertising young people are exposed to and, in turn, keeps their education system up to date with the increased risk of gambling addiction at a young age.
The legality of gambling is not on trial here; it’s the glamorization and induced positive psychology regarding an addictive and dangerous behavior that needs to be reviewed. Adults can make decisions for themselves, and that obviously includes bad decisions, but sports are often shown as an outlet for kids to get much-needed exercise and healthy social interaction. Sports can be a great opportunity for kids to be healthy, but if they want to watch the pros play the same game as them, their attention will quickly be sold out to dangerous and addictive behavior.
Despite the widespread legalization of sport betting, it does not see the same public emphasis in youth safety education as drugs and alcohol when it comes to risk. Seeing as it is not a specifically ingestible substance, many of these kids may not recognize sports betting as a dangerous and addictive behavior unless properly educated on it.
“Pediatricians working with transitional-age youth should include gambling when they talk to their patients about substance use and other risk behaviors and collaborate with families, school counselors, and addiction treatment specialists to intervene early,” Nora Volkow, a director with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH), wrote in an Oct. 21 blog post in American Society of Addiction Medicine Weekly.
This problem is only exacerbated when taking into consideration the proliferation of mobile gambling. Players do not have to go to the casino to place wagers anymore, nor even need to walk over to a desktop computer. The moment the urge hits or one is reminded by a gambling ad on an otherwise innocent broadcast, all it takes is picking up the phone and clicking one button.
Children are more impressionable than adults. A child could be sitting in his living room watching a baseball game when a sports betting advertisement comes on while his father places a bet on his phone. No one has necessarily done anything wrong in this scenario, but without education on the dangers of sports betting, like America has with drugs and alcohol, that behavior in excess may not be appropriately stigmatized in the child’s brain.
They say it just takes one: one commercial, one influence, to get you into something you can’t get out of. A lot of little kids who are getting into sports are going to look to the pros for inspiration. It is a way for them to get involved in their community, to stay active, and a way to get kids outside instead of on a screen. But we need to think about the example being set by commercials that show the rare big wins when gambling, as opposed to the reality of playing into a system that is designed for the player to lose.
Once again, this is only exacerbated when you take into account that the average age at which people place their first bets is decreasing.
These advertisements are created to be fun and exciting, which makes sense. That is the point of advertising, but similarly to the legal issues regarding e-cigarette marketing, it can become an issue when these commercials start adopting the silly, upbeat concepts we often see as marketing targeted toward children.
Kids are already exposed to the concept of gambling through video games that include “loot box” or “pack opening” mechanics. If they are then exposed to consistent gambling advertisements, the framework is already placed in their brains to search for the dopamine rush from winning big, even if they are virtually guaranteed to lose, at least to some extent, in the long run.
Another concern is the concept of “free” bets when signing up for betting sites. Young people who are not educated on the risks can see these opportunities, and they are already in the door. The gambling apps have essentially bought their attention. Once again, the gambling companies are not necessarily doing anything wrong, but if education on the risks of gambling are not increased to the same levels as drugs and alcohol, it might as well be letting young people get their first buzz with little to no knowledge of the adverse effects.
