Rutgers Study Finds Alarming Results From Underage Gambling Study

It seems that rising concerns over underage gambling were justified.

A study by the Rutgers University Center for Gambling Studies found that 42.7% of teens aged 13 to 17 have gambled in the past year. The results were taken from interviews with 1,677 participants aged between 13 and 27, with 52.5% confirming they’ve engaged in gambling in the last year.

The study also found that around 40% of participants reported having some level of problem gambling habits.

More Than Casino Games, Sportsbooks

Researchers at Rutgers used a broad definition of gambling in this study.

While sports betting and casino games were included, it also classified the following activities as gambling:

• Lottery games
• Crypto trading
• High-risk stock trades
• Social & sweepstakes casinos
• Prediction markets

Unlike casinos and sportsbooks, these other forms of gambling typically set their minimum age at 18. However, they still require users to verify their age before they can participate. 

Troubling Trends With Young Teens

The study showed troubling trends across all age groups, but the most alarming came from young teens ages 13 to 17.

Of the 42.7% who said they’ve gambled in the last year, 18.9% said they gambled at least weekly. This is lower than among participants aged 18 to 20, where only 18.9% reported that frequency. 

Around 10% of young teens were reported to be at high risk for problem gambling, which was similar to other age ranges.

The good news is that most young teens were only participating in raffles and bingo games. While these games introduce the excitement of gambling, they don’t carry the same risks as lottery games, stock trades, and most of the other categories included in the study.

Low-Income Bettors Are Struggling

The Rutgers study also grouped participants by household earnings during interviews. It found that those making less than $20,000 annually were “significantly overrepresented” when assessing bettors who are high-risk for problem gambling. 

While low-income bettors can overspend far more easily than others, they may also struggle to resist the kind of “big wins” promoted by many gambling platforms. Unfortunately, many young teens from these households were reported to be at high risk for problem gambling.

This low-income range can also capture college-aged bettors. Many are financially independent for the first time and don’t have the responsible habits adults develop as they mature. This makes them more vulnerable to problem gambling and can lead to financial consequences for their families.