As legal gambling surges, some states want to teach teens about the risks

As a high school senior, Nick was blessed with a deadly accurate jump shot from the three-point range — something he was quick to monetize.

He and his gym classmates not far from the Jersey Shore would compete to see who could make the most baskets, at $5 or $10 a pop.

“It gave a different dynamic to the day, a certain level of excitement,” Nick said. “Little did I know how far it would continue to go.”

Before long, he was gambling staggering sums of money on sports, costing him over $700,000 in the past decade. He hit rock bottom last year when he stole $35,000 from his workplace and gambled it away on international tennis and soccer matches – sports he admittedly knew nothing about.

Wagering is now easier than ever for adults – and children – and there’s a growing movement in the U.S. to offer problem gambling education courses in public schools to teach teenagers how easily and quickly things can go wrong with betting.

It’s a trend that Nick wishes had existed when his gambling habit took root in high school and led him on a path to financial ruin. He asked not to be identified by his full name because he has pending criminal charges stemming from his gambling addiction. The 27-year-old plans to look for work after his charges are resolved, and he fears the job hunt will be even harder if he’s identified publicly as a compulsive gambler.

The rapid expansion of legalized sports betting in 33 states, with three more states coming soon, has brought steps designed to keep children from gambling, including age confirmation and identity checks. But teens can bypass betting restrictions and place wagers on their phones by using a parent or other relative’s account, or via unregulated offshore betting sites that can be less vigilant about age checks. And some teens have weekend poker games where hundreds of dollars are won or lost, often fueled by money from parents.

According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, 60% to 80% of high school students report having gambled for money during the past year; 4% to 6% of these students are considered at risk of developing a gambling problem.

Now, a few states are moving toward gambling education in public schools. The effort is in its infancy, and the details of what would be taught are still to be determined.

Virginia enacted a law last year requiring schools to have classes on gambling and its addictive potential. The state Board of Education is still formulating the curriculum and must report back to state government before lessons can begin.

Other states are trying as well, including New Jersey and Michigan, which have bills pending in their legislatures to create such classes. Similar legislation failed in Maryland and West Virginia in recent years, but they’re expected to try again.

The legal gambling age in many states is 21, but is as low as 18 in others.

Keith Whyte, executive director of the problem gambling council, recently spoke to a group of 40 high school juniors in Virginia.

“Every single one of them said either they bet, or said their friends bet,” he said. “Almost every single one of them had sports betting apps on their phones; some were legal; more were not.”

Whyte said widespread gambling risk education could be “comparable to the dramatic reduction in drunk driving deaths from when drinking and driving education became widespread.”

Teresa Svincek is a teacher at a suburban Maryland school outside Washington, where many of her students are “heavily into sports betting” and weekly poker games.

“They laugh at losing hundreds of dollars over a weekend,” she said. “When I was their age, I was busy working to earn money, and losing what they lose over a weekend was what I made in a month. I think these kids are the future tip of the iceberg.”

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