The Epidemic of Youth and Sports Gambling (5005)

Joining Jim Falk to talk about the rising addiction in youth sports gambling are:

Les Bernal: National Director, Stop Predatory Gambling, and

Saul Malek: Board Director, Texas Coalition on Problem Gambling, Inc.

The National Council on Problem Gambling has found that 60 to 80 percent of high schoolers have gambled in the past year, and 14 to 19 percent either fit the criteria of having a gambling problem or are showing signs of losing control.

Among young people, sports betting has exploded. Overall, high schoolers exhibit double the rate of gambling issues as adults.

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a prior ban on sports betting. Since September 2024, there were 38 states in the U.S. where sports betting was legal to different degrees.

“Today, the casino is available in many people’s homes, in their pocket, on their smart phones”- Dr. Timothy Fong, UCLA Gambling Studies Program.

Join us to learn more about this issue.

#5005