Schools in Massachusetts are piloting a new program aimed at educating students about the risks of gambling. 

The Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health (MACGH) said it “is proud to lead the development of the first youth gambling-harm prevention curriculum in the United States focused specifically on sports betting and daily fantasy sports.”

The program is being trialed at 15 high schools across the state, along with seven middle schools.

It comes amid growing concerns that teenagers are engaging in underage gambling. A survey earlier this year claimed that as many as 1 in 3 teenagers are gambling, with video games blamed as an entry point.

Data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health shows that 60% to 80% of high schoolers report having gambled at least once in the past year. 

Teachers Volunteer To Lead Program

“We have to do something about it now before it gets too out of hand, and it is already out of hand,” said Paul Coutinho, a teacher leading the class at Medfield High School. 

The curriculum is structured into four or five 45-minute sessions, typically taught in health classes. 

Pete Hall, a health and P.E. teacher at Central High School in Springfield, said he was keen to volunteer to teach the classes due to his own struggles with gambling. 

“I grew up an athlete, played sports, thought I knew what I was doing,” Hall told The Hechinger Report. He said his $5 and $10 bets grew into $5,000 and $10,000 bets, yet he never got ahead. “Every bet I won got me back to zero dollars.”

He joined Gamblers Anonymous, and when he heard about the betting education program, he thought his experience would be valuable to students. 

“It was my way to give back,” said Hall. “I don’t want to scare people. I just want to inform.” 

First Phase Results Effective, Says MACGH

The MACGH launched the first trial of the program last year and said the results have been encouraging. The organization noted, 

• 69% of youth said they were more likely to wait until they are of legal age before gambling on sports
• 78% said they would recommend the program to others their age
• The percentage of students who believed gambling was an easy way to make money dropped from 53% to 44%

The first pilot reached 440 youths across multiple high schools and community-based organizations. The MACGH said the new phase ”will engage a broader range of youth, including young adults, and meet students where they are, both in digital spaces and in-person learning settings.”

This includes delivering lessons in schools, such as at Central and Medfield High Schools. 

New York and Pennsylvania Also Tackling Underage Gambling

This week, Pennsylvania lawmakers also proposed a new bill aimed at reducing underage gambling. If passed, gambling operators will be forced to block access to their platforms on school campuses. 

In April, New York Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled plans to tackle underage gambling. 

“Mobile sports wagering is everywhere, enticing everyone — including our youth — to place bets without fully considering the consequences,” Hochul said. “We need strong regulatory safeguards to prevent those under 21 from gambling.”

To prevent underage gambling, Hochul said she will force operators to conduct more stringent verification checks. This includes forcing gambling companies to verify users using biometric data, not only when they open an account, but also before each bet. 

In addition to Massachusetts, Virginia also includes instruction on problem gambling and its addictive potential as part of the public school curriculum. New Jersey and Michigan have also proposed adding gambling risk components to mandatory health classes.