A new report has claimed that 1 in 3 American boys aged 11 to 17 years old are gambling, with video games acting as the top way youths encounter gambling-like activities. 

Of 1,017 boys surveyed, 36% said they had gambled in the previous year. The researchers, however, made a wide-reaching definition of gambling, including online gaming. 

Common Sense, the nonprofit behind the report, defined gaming-related gambling as “Exchanging real money for random, chance-based rewards in games.” In addition to “Trading or betting using in-game items acquired with real money.” 

A total of 23% of the boys said they participated in gaming-related gambling, with 12% engaging in more traditional forms, including card games, casino games, and lotteries. Similarly, 12% said they gambled on sports or DFS. It is unclear how the different types of gambling overlap. 

However, Common Sense Media Founder and CEO James P. Steyer was clear that video games are to blame for the growth in underage gambling. He stated, “Boys are gambling from a very early age. Through the games they play, the social media platforms they use every day, and their friends, gambling has become a fact of many boys’ day-to-day lives—and often in ways parents may not recognize.”

Elsewhere, this week, the Austrian courts ruled that the presence of loot boxes in games is not enough to categorize them as gambling. 

Urgent Action Required, Says Common Sense 

Among boys who gamble (across any gambling type), 28% say they do so because it’s part of the games they like to play.

A report last year focused on skins gambling found 47% of those who own tradeable skins have used them to gamble on third-party sites. The report, published by TrustPlay, called on game developers, most notably Valve, to do more to stop minors from gambling.  

Valve has taken steps to address the issue, banning the promotion of skins gambling and case opening sites. 

Based on the Common Sense survey results, Steyer said the responsibility lies with everyone. He added, “Our research shows that we are at a pivotal moment for boys’ well-being and their futures. 

“Without safeguards and support, many boys may be forming risky relationships with gambling before they fully understand the consequences. All of us—parents, educators, industry, and policymakers—must treat this issue with the urgency it demands.”

Peer pressure was deemed to be a major reason for minors’ gambling. Among boys with friends who gamble, over 8 in 10 gamble themselves, compared to under 2 in 10 boys whose friends don’t gamble.

Social Media Also Blamed For Promoting Gambling to Minors

The report also put a sizeable amount of blame on social media companies and their algorithms for exposing teens to gambling content. 

Around half of adolescent boys who gamble see online material that promotes gambling, mostly delivered through algorithm recommendations.

Meta has recently come under fire over accusations that the company generates a significant amount of revenue from advertising illegal gambling services. This includes sites with few age-verification checks that allow minors to gamble. 

Australia has strict rules on games that include gambling-like mechanisms, such as loot boxes, and has also recently banned under-16s from using social media. 

Other countries are mulling over similar moves. This week, French lawmakers approved legislation that proposes banning under-15s from using platforms. The bill will now go to a vote in the Senate. 

Parents Must Deal With Their Sons

In addition to lawmakers, Common Sense recommends that parents have “honest, ongoing conversations with their sons about gambling early in adolescence and revisit them as children grow.” 

The group added, “To further protect their sons from forming gambling habits, parents can monitor their social media feeds and set clear rules about online spending.”

There was no immediate response from a teenage boy spokesperson, but we can imagine how they might feel about such conversations and monitoring.