The Facts About Underage Gambling: Risks and Regulations Sports Betting Guide

In addition, further research is needed to reduce harms related to youth online gambling and gambling-related features in videogames. Early adoption of harm reduction measures including higher age restrictions for online gambling and for videogames with gambling-related features may be beneficial. Gambling disorder in youth is an emerging public health problem, with adolescents and young adults constituting a vulnerable age group for the development of gambling-related problems. Although research has been conducted on the risk factors for gambling disorder, very few rigorous studies can be found on the efficacy of preventive interventions in young people. The aim of this study was to provide best practice recommendations for the prevention of disordered gambling in adolescents and young adults.

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People with gambling problems typically meet criteria for hazardous gambling, betting or gambling disorder in the International Classification of Diseases, 11th edition (1, 2). Global estimates of 10- to 24-year-olds suggest 0.2–12% of youth and young adults experience gambling problems (3, 4), with an additional 8–14% at risk for developing gambling problems (5). Online gambling prevalence in 13- to 24-year-olds range between 4 and 24% (6).

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You could also explain that gambling companies are set up to make more money than they pay out to gamblers. Children in the upper years of primary school are generally ready to learn about gambling, including the low likelihood of winning in the medium to long term. This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article. Once duplicates were removed, a total of 992 articles were identified and screened by three reviewers (P.C.-M., E.A., and M.H.). The full-text manuscripts for 64 studies were then sought for retrieval and assessed, of which 32 met the inclusion criteria (Figure 1).

Learn More About Responsible Gambling

• Delivered by YGAM and GamCare, the Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme will ensure that young people receive at least one gambling awareness session during their secondary education.
• Some courts may mandate participation in rehabilitation or counseling programs designed to address gambling behavior.
• In addition, Rise Life Management is also seeking to engage Teachers Colleges to address the issue before counsellors enter the teaching profession.
• A strong password is an excellent way to keep a minor out of a betting account.
• The National Council on Problem Gambling suggests that about 2-3% of American adults meet the criteria for problem gambling, while another 2-3% are considered to be at risk of developing a gambling problem.

Balanced messages that tell two sides of the story (both positive and negative aspects of online gambling), are honest about negative consequences, discuss money spent, or encourage-self appraisal may also deter youth online gambling. Finally, youth may not become desensitized to warning labels and may require reminders as refreshments. Placing pop-up warning labels in noticeable areas where youth and other vulnerable populations may gamble online could be effective. However, direct examination of the effectiveness of each of these approaches for youth online gambling is needed. In sum, the Lotteries Act enacted in Finland on October 1, 2010 that raised the minimum khelo24 age limit for gambling from 15 to 18 years of age helped decrease adolescent gambling and problem gambling between 2011 and 2015 (59).

Identification within virtual communities may considerably influence in-game spending behaviors (52). Online videogaming and gambling providers could take proactive roles in identifiying and excluding gambling youth. Similar approaches may be applicable to identifying, intervening and limiting at-risk gambling/videogaming (31). Providers could also include links to online counseling, peer-support chats, educational materials, and virtual communities that may serve as protection against excessive use (31, 52). Policymakers could consider placing limits on chance-items and use other controls that are traditionally used in gambling settings to limit youth spending and prevent youth engagement (49, 50, 53, 54). Gambling has become an increasingly normalized, accessible (thanks to the internet and liberalization of gambling regulation), and recreational activity 1.

He aims to create platforms that are not only user-friendly but also uphold the highest standards of ethical reporting, contributing to a more responsible and enjoyable sports culture. Age requirements for off-track betting facilities typically align with those of other gambling venues, usually set at 18 or 21. Off-track betting involves wagering on horse races that are broadcast live at different locations. It can help to explain the odds of winning in a way your child can easily understand. Your chance of being hit by lightning in your lifetime is 1 in 300,000’. Gratefully acknowledges the support of Margarita Salas’ postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Zaragoza, funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU.

With problem gambling among young people at its highest level since the pandemic, the coming months will be crucial in determining whether the government’s response is sufficient to curb this worrying trend. One in ten young people admitted the gambling made them tell lies while one in 15 were reported being worried by gambling by family members. In March 2024, the London Assembly Health Committee called for London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to bring forward proposals to ban all gambling advertisements on TFL services.