The Issue
Gambling used to require a trip to the casino. Now it's a notification away. It's open 24/7, always on the phone in your pocket, and designed to pull you back in. That constant access is exactly what makes modern platforms more addictive, and more dangerous for young people, than the casino floor ever was.
The rise of mobile and sports betting, engagement-driven platform design, and the blurring line between gaming and gambling all raise public health and policy questions that affect young people first.
Research
Accepted to the Oxford Journal of Student Scholarship
Since the Supreme Court overturned the federal ban on sports betting in 2018, legal wagering in the U.S. has grown rapidly, and most bets are now placed online. Adolescents develop gambling problems at higher rates than adults, so this shift hits them hardest. The paper argues that four mechanisms work together as a single, reinforcing system rather than as separate risks:
01
Smartphone accessibility
Removes the friction that used to prevent impulsive betting and embeds wagering into daily routines.
02
Gaming–gambling convergence
Gambling-like mechanics in games get young people used to paying for chance-based rewards years before the legal age.
03
Manipulative app design
Betting platform interfaces are deliberately built to make losing money easy.
04
Social media normalization
Advertising and gambling livestreams make betting look like an ordinary part of sports and online culture.
Current safeguards like age verification and voluntary spending limits have largely failed. The paper proposes stronger measures, including biometric identity verification at registration and mandatory restrictions on gambling content across streaming platforms.
Read the Full Paper →Press & Writing
Stop Predatory Gambling · By Connor Huynh
I'm in High School. Here's How Predatory Gambling Is Hitting My Generation.
Read the article →
The Boston Globe · July 10, 2026
Teen sports betting: A growing concern in schools
Data is limited on the impact of legalized sports gambling on young people, but internal investigations by FanDuel and DraftKings offer a glimpse into what advocates say is a much larger problem.
Read the story →
Resources
Need help now?
Call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER. It's free, confidential, and available 24/7.