The Online Gambling Industry Has Its Eyes On Your Teenage Son

Online gambling is about to ravage many young men’s futures.

An opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times recently compared celebrities promoting online gambling sites to spokespersons for cigarette companies in the past. It’s an apt comparison, considering the tension between online betting’s glamorous persona and its frequent reality of financial debt, addiction, suicide, and devastation to marriages and families.

The global sports betting market is worth over $120 billion. Prediction markets, which allow the average citizen to place bets on the outcome of everyday events, are on track to reach an astounding $1 trillion in volume by 2030.

Many bettors, however, fail to recognize that this isn’t a lucrative, skill-based path toward financial freedom; it is, instead, risky and dependent on chance. In fact, one in five Americans views sports betting as a form of investing. This statistic doubles to two in five when asking Gen Zers, who account for roughly half of all online betting activity.

Online gambling is different from traditional forms of casino gambling in that a person can gamble at all hours of the day, with few restrictions, no matter where he is. This makes it easier for someone who can’t afford to gamble to partake, and for a casual hobby to slide into a full-blown addiction.

It also becomes easier for someone with a gambling problem to hide it, because it’s the norm nowadays for people to be on their phones constantly, even when in public or during private moments, like having dinner with a loved one or using the bathroom.

Advertisements for gambling apps are everywhere, encouraging young people to join in. Videos of gamblers bragging about their online wins are all over social media.

It’s no wonder that online gambling has skyrocketed among adolescents, regardless of whether they live in a state that requires players to be over the age of 18 or 21. A study published earlier this year found that 36% of boys aged 11-17 say they took part in gambling or gambling-related activities in the past year.

But adult recreation has no place influencing the life choices of children, who are too young to understand the related consequences. In some cases, a child will gamble using a family member’s credit card or Social Security number, without their knowledge.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a gambling disorder can involve a preoccupation with gambling, repeated unsuccessful efforts to cut down or stop, lying to hide one’s gambling activity, and gambling to make up for money lost. There has already been a documented increase in emergency department visits among boys and young men who sports bet.

Adolescents, especially boys, tend to act impulsively and enjoy taking risks due to their still-developing frontal lobes. Online gambling can be especially alluring to children because these digital interfaces resemble video games, with bright colors and constant engagement.

Earlier exposure to gambling increases the risk of later developing problematic gambling. (Although fewer women gamble than men, it’s worth noting that problematic gambling tends to develop more quickly in women.)

Scientific research has demonstrated differences in the brain associated with gambling disorder. Combined with excessive screen time (by way of the smartphones boys are using to place and monitor their bets), online gambling has the potential to rewire adolescents’ development in concerning ways. For example, studies have linked excessive screen time to ADHD symptoms and altered growth in a part of the brain implicated in addiction.

As we look to the future, you may be questioning to what extent online gambling explains the larger trend of young men struggling in society and their lack of interest in coupling up. A young man can’t realistically pursue goals or make solid life plans if he is fixated on gambling every moment of the day. He can’t settle down if he is constantly chasing his losses and can’t afford to take a woman out on a date.

Like an addiction to drugs or alcohol, managing a gambling addiction requires abstinence from the habit, and this will be a lifelong process. If you think you might have a gambling problem, there is no shame in seeking help.

As someone who previously worked clinically and in research settings with patients struggling with substance use disorders, for individuals with a family history of addiction, I’d suggest avoiding not only addictive substances, but gambling as well. Research has shown overlap between addiction to substances and problematic gambling, in adults and adolescents.

We should discourage the normalization of this vice, especially when in the presence of children. Talk to your kids about the harms of gambling so they understand why, despite our culture’s insouciance, it’s not a good idea to start. This will not only ensure their ability to make good financial decisions and thrive, but it will also protect their mental health.

***

Dr. Debra Soh is a sex neuroscientist and the author of “Sextinction: The Decline of Sex and the Future of Intimacy.” She was featured in Matt Walsh’s film, “What Is a Woman?” Visit her at DrDebraSoh.com.

This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

More from this network:
Domains for Sale · GOTPeople.org · TheDSAPlatform · The Truth About Socialism

Donate to GOTPeople.org