The rise of online gambling sites and apps has made gambling more accessible than ever. In seconds, we can load an app and stake money on poker, roulette, or blackjack – or bet on football games, horse races, presidential elections, and even the Oscars.
As convenient as it is, the ability to wager on almost anything at your fingertips can be disastrous for the estimated 5 million Americans who meet the criteria for compulsive gamblers.
And what about kids?
In the past, a child would have had to illegally enter an 18+ casino or betting shop to gamble. Today, it’s relatively easy for a minor to access an online gambling platform and start taking their chances – often without fully understanding the risks involved.
The rise in teens gambling online
In our 2024 report, only 39% of parents admitted feeling concerned about their children accessing gambling content online. Yet, youth gambling has recently been described as a “massive public health problem,” with children as young as 10 showing signs of addiction.
Depending on the country or state, the law requires people to be over 18 or 21 to gamble online. Although most online gambling platforms state that they have age restrictions, they often aren’t enforced strongly, if at all. For example, a minor could bypass an age verification process by using information from an older sibling or parent.
You don’t have to spend long online to see how young people are being drawn into the flashy yet hollow world of gambling through a range of questionable tactics, including:
- Targeted social media ads – Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are guilty of bombarding underage users with gambling ads, often with cartoonish graphics and trendy slang to make betting seem fun and harmless.
- Influencer and streamer promotions – Content creators on Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok normalize gambling by promoting platforms or even streaming their bets, turning high-risk wagers into entertainment.
- Free-to-play gambling apps – Games featuring poker, slots, and blackjack may seem harmless at first, but they frequently push players to purchase in-app currency, blurring the lines between gaming and real gambling.
- Sports betting – Major events like the Super Bowl are flooded with ads for betting platforms, conditioning young fans to associate sports with gambling.
- “Risk-free” betting offers – Promos like “free bets” and “bonus cash” make gambling seem like an easy, no-strings-attached activity.
Loot boxes and gacha games: Gambling gateways?
Gambling platforms and their murky marketing strategies aside, there’s a more insidious way that young people are being unknowingly conditioned to gamble – through video games.
Loot boxes are virtual items in video games that players can purchase or earn through gameplay, offering randomized rewards like character skins, weapons, or other in-game bonuses. The excitement of not knowing what you’ll get until you open the box, and the prospect of scoring a rare and valuable item, has led to criticism that video games are increasingly resembling gambling platforms. Loot box mechanics can be found in many “free-to-play” mobile games including Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, and Call of Duty: Mobile.
Gacha games are video games that encourage players to win virtual items like cards and characters through a mechanism, similar to a vending machine, in which players pull, spin, or roll using in-game currency. Like with loot boxes, gacha games are considered akin to gambling and have been criticized for encouraging children to spend large amounts of money in the hopes of winning big.
At the time of writing, Japan, China, South Korea, Belgium, and the Netherlands have either banned or introduced strict regulations on loot boxes and gacha games due to concerns that they resemble gambling.
The dangers of gambling online for teens
It might start innocently, but gambling online with digital money or game skins comes with real-life risks that younger people might not fully understand. Irresponsible gambling can have devastating effects on people of all ages but their still-developing brains mean the dangers can be much worse for children.
Addiction and problem gambling
Research has shown that 2% to 7% of young people may develop a gambling disorder as opposed to around 1% of adults. Some attribute this to young brains being more sensitive to dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter released during gambling wins. This heightened response can make gambling feel even more addictive for teens.
Serious financial loss
One of the biggest pitfalls of gambling is not knowing when to walk away. Since developing brains struggle to assess risk versus reward accurately, teenagers are more likely to fall into dangerous gambling patterns and accumulate significant debt – whether through many small bets or one giant, regrettable wager. In a desperate attempt to keep gambling, a child might even use their parent’s payment card, leading to a nasty surprise when the monthly statement arrives.
Negative impact on mental health
Gambling, especially when started at a young age, can have serious, long-term mental health consequences, including anxiety, stress, depression, and impulse control issues. Teens who gamble are also more likely to engage in other risky behaviors, such as alcohol and substance use; and studies have shown that gambling addicts have the highest suicide rate of any addiction disorder.
Legal issues
If caught gambling underage, some countries and states hold minors accountable, imposing fines or, in extreme cases, even criminal charges – especially if identity fraud is involved, such as using a fake ID to bypass age verification.
How to protect your teen from the dangers of gambling
Sitting alongside other concerning online content like pornography, violence, and illegal substance use, gambling is often overlooked by parents – yet its dangers shouldn’t be. With problem gambling on the rise among young people, we recommend that parents take a more proactive approach to this growing online threat.
1. Learn the warning signs
If your teen is gambling online, they’re likely doing it in secret. However, the following signs might indicate that your child is gambling, and spotting them early can help you step in before it develops into a bigger problem. Note that these aren’t exclusive to online gambling and may point to something else troubling your teen.
- Frequently asking for money or your credit card information
- Increased time spent online
- Behavioral changes such as mood swings, aggression, and depression
- Increased interest in gaming and competition
- Less engagement in school and other activities
2. Model healthy behavior
Research has shown that problem gambling can be passed down through generations, so leading by example should always be a priority. If you enjoy gambling occasionally, avoid doing it in front of your children, encouraging them to join in, placing bets for them, or boasting about your wins.
3. Set spending rules for games with gambling mechanics
The controversial presence of loot boxes and other gambling-like features in video games can condition kids to gamble without them even realizing it. For many games, you can set spending limits to control how much your child can spend on loot boxes, usually a maximum monthly budget.
Avoid saving credit or debit card details in the game. To limit how much your child spends on loot boxes and other in-app purchases, consider using gift cards or prepaid cards instead.
If you want to block the ability to make in-game purchases completely, you can usually do this via the device’s parental controls. For example, for Call of Duty: Mobile on iOS, you can disable in-app purchases by turning on Content & Privacy Restrictions; on Android, this can be done in Play Store settings.
4. Use external parental controls
For peace of mind, parental control tools like Qustodio can help further protect your child from gambling by allowing you to:
- Block gambling or gaming apps from being opened
- Receive alerts when your child searches for something gambling-related
- Set time limits for gaming apps like Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, and Call of Duty: Mobile.
- “Pull the plug” and immediately pause the internet to stop whatever your child is doing online.
While parents’ focus is often on keeping their kids away from other dark corners of the internet, teens gambling online is a growing concern that shouldn’t be ignored. Despite it being illegal in most places for minors, gambling is hyped up by influencers and streamers, and targeted ads on their favorite platforms mean kids can be lured by “free bets” and other irresistible promotions. Perhaps most concerning, is the concept of loot boxes in video games and gacha games, both of which can condition kids to gamble.
A child’s still-developing brain means that the possibility of addiction and other dangers of gambling are heightened for minors. To reduce these risks, parents need to take a proactive approach which might include watching out for warning signs, modeling healthy behavior, and using parental controls.
