Politicians Want To Ban Gambling Ads To Stop Youth Addiction. What Do the Data Say About Teens and Betting?

Are young boys everywhere on the verge of being pulled down into the abyss of online gambling? 

If you’ve been reading the news lately, you might be tempted to think so. Young men are all addicted to sports betting, and now the industry’s incessant advertising is luring in kids, so say some media outlets. If something isn’t done to limit ads for gambling apps, some argue, kids will continue to be taken advantage of. 

These dire predictions have reached Colorado lawmakers, who are now considering Senate Bill 26-131, which would place major restrictions on sports betting in the state. In addition to barring adults from making more than five separate deposits with an individual betting operator within a 24-hour period, the bill would also make it illegal to broadcast an ad “for a sports betting operation from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. or during a live broadcast of an athletic competition.” . 

The bill’s supporters defend this prohibition by saying it’s necessary to protect kids. In reality, gambling ads pose very little threat to children. Even for those who find ways around age restrictions, the data show that they make bets only occasionally (similar to most adults). While gambling can and does ruin lives for the small fraction of adults who become addicted to it, it’s a relatively harmless form of entertainment for the vast majority of users. And for those who do have a genuine gambling problem, advertisements for legitimate betting apps can help direct them toward well-regulated companies and steer them away from dangerous, illegal gambling operations. 

The moral panic over online sports betting has made some people wildly overestimate the power of TV commercials. State Sen. Matt Ball (D–Denver), one of the bill’s sponsors, compared sports betting ads to those for cigarettes. “The whole point is we try to restrict that advertising from getting to kids,” he told Denver 7, a local ABC News affiliate. “At the end of the day, gambling is an addiction. It’s like alcoholism. It’s like substance abuse.” The theory seems to be that, if kids see ads for gambling apps, they’ll start gambling themselves and immediately develop an addiction that will destroy their lives. 

A recent survey by Common Sense Media on gambling amongst minors is helping to fuel those concerns. The survey found that 36 percent of boys aged 11 to 17 said they gambled online within the past year.    

Going unnoticed by the media is the impact that ads have on the kids (60 percent said betting ads on YouTube and social media don’t prompt them to gamble) and the minuscule amount of money the boys were spending. According to the survey, of the boys who admitted to gambling, the average individual spent a mere $54. Even the boys who took the biggest losses spent relatively little: $159 per year, not much more than the price of an average concert ticket. 

Indeed, the boys’ gambling proclivities are similar to those of grown adults. Almost half of men aged 18–49 have an account with an online sportsbook. According to a survey by U.S. News & World Report, 44 percent of gamblers place five or fewer bets per month, and 40 percent said “they wager less than $100 monthly.” 

That’s not to say that we shouldn’t be concerned about the prevalence of gambling. Some people are genuinely addicted to it, leading to bankruptcy, mental health struggles, and conflict with friends and relatives. Parents should carefully monitor their children’s online activity and counsel them about the potential pitfalls of gambling. Sports betting companies ought to investigate and remove minors from their platforms—and many are doing exactly that. 

What gamblers definitely do not need—regardless of their age—are nanny-state policies that restrict free speech, prohibit people from spending their own money as they see fit, and limit the ability of legal entities to distribute information.