Nearly 43% of US adolescents aged 13 to 17 participated in gambling-related activities over the past year, with a substantial proportion of young people who gambled showing signs of problem gambling, according to a national study conducted by researchers at Rutgers University.
The study (pdf), led by Lia Nower, director of Rutgers’ Center for Gambling Studies, surveyed 1,677 US adolescents and young adults aged 13 to 27 between April and July 2026. It provides a national benchmark for gambling participation among young people, examining activity across 21 traditional, gambling-like and emerging categories.
Overall, 52.5% of respondents reported participating in gambling during the previous 12 months, including 42.7% of those aged 13 to 17. Among respondents who gambled, nearly 40% reported some level of problem gambling risk, while 10.3% were classified as high risk.
Across the entire sample, 20.8% experienced some degree of problem gambling risk, including 5.4% who fell into the high-risk category.
The research covered activities ranging from sports betting, casino games and lottery participation to cryptocurrency trading, high-risk stock trading, social casino games and prediction markets. Researchers also examined gambling frequency, participation online and at physical venues, mental health symptoms, substance use and other potentially addictive behaviors.
“We are living in a time where anyone can have a casino or sportsbook in their pocket,” Nower said. “Teens who should be playing sports are betting on them.”
Household Gambling Exposure Linked to Higher Risk
The study identified family and household gambling as a significant factor associated with participation and problem gambling severity. Overall, 41.1% of respondents said a family or household member gambled. That proportion rose to 51.5% among adolescents aged 13 to 17.
Young people who perceived that a household member had a gambling problem were more than five times as likely to be classified as high-risk problem gamblers. Those who gambled with a family member were more than four times as likely to fall into the same category.
Family exposure was particularly common among adolescents and young adults facing high gambling-related risks, raising concerns about the role of gambling behavior within the home.
Nower said the findings should prompt parents to reconsider how children encounter gambling. She also called for educators, health professionals and policymakers to recognize the extent of youth participation and the potential consequences of early exposure.
“Gambling is no longer confined to casinos and lottery tickets. It is increasingly embedded in video games, sports broadcasts, and other products young people can access. We have worried this would increase rates of problem gambling among youth. Now we know it does,” Nower said.
The study also found an association between earlier and more frequent gambling and greater problem gambling risk. According to Nower, the findings support the view that gambling problems can develop cumulatively, with repeated participation potentially increasing the likelihood of more severe difficulties.
The researchers found that 65.4% of high-risk problem gamblers participated in both online and land-based gambling. More than half of respondents in the high-risk category gambled at least weekly, indicating that frequent activity and participation across different settings were common among those experiencing the most severe problems.
Lower-Income Households Report Greater Gambling Problems
Household income was another factor associated with problem gambling severity. Among people who gambled and came from households earning less than $10,000 annually, nearly 30% were classified as high risk.
The proportion stood at 22.8% among gamblers from households earning between $10,000 and less than $20,000 per year. These findings identified lower-income households as a group with particularly high rates of gambling-related problems.
The researchers also reported differences across racial and ethnic groups. Black, non-Hispanic respondents had the highest prevalence of past-year gambling, at 63.9%.
Among respondents who gambled, 17.7% of Black participants were classified as high risk, compared with 12.8% of Hispanic participants and 6.4% of non-Hispanic White participants.
The study found that high-risk problem gambling rates were broadly comparable between males and females. Males were more likely to experience low- and moderate-risk gambling problems, but approximately 10% of gamblers of each sex fell into the high-risk category.
Prediction Markets and Social Casino Games Raise Concerns
The research examined gambling-like activities that young people can encounter through digital platforms. Although only a small percentage of respondents reported betting on prediction markets, approximately 40% of those participants were classified as high-risk problem gamblers.
Social casino players also showed elevated risk, with 41% falling into the high-risk category. That compared with 10.3% of gamblers overall.
These findings highlight the concentration of gambling-related problems among participants in some emerging activities. However, the figures describe associations within the surveyed population and do not establish that participation in any particular activity caused the problems.
The study also found higher rates of substance use and certain excessive behaviors among respondents who gambled than among those who did not.
Alcohol use was reported by 44.6% of gamblers, compared with 25.9% of non-gamblers. Binge drinking affected 25.6% of gamblers and 10.5% of non-gamblers, while drug use was reported by 26.7% and 17.6%, respectively.
Excessive social media use was reported by 51% of gamblers, compared with 38.7% of non-gamblers. Excessive shopping was also more common among gamblers, at 12.6%, versus 7.8% among respondents who did not gamble.
Mental health symptoms were particularly prevalent among those classified as high-risk problem gamblers. More than half of this group, 52.8%, reported anxiety, while 38.4% reported depression. Suicidal ideation was reported by 13.1%. The researchers noted that differences in suicidal ideation across problem gambling severity groups were not statistically significant.
Founded in 2007, Rutgers’ Center for Gambling Studies researches gambling-related issues and policy. The university also operates a nationally accredited training center for compulsive gambling counselors.