Kim Freudenberg, a longtime San Francisco teacher, expected to warn her sons about drugs, alcohol, sex and online safety—but she never imagined she’d need to warn them about gambling.
When her oldest was 11, he clicked a comment on a livestreamed video game and was routed to an offshore online casino. He started playing blackjack, poker and roulette, using in-game items as currency. The behavior escalated into an addiction that was hard to detect: “He wasn’t just holed up in his room 24-7,” Freudenberg says. “He ran track. He played soccer. He was a great student.” By 19 he dropped out of college; his mother learned he had been gambling for nearly half his life, selling possessions, borrowing from friends and eventually stealing to cover debts.
Educators, researchers and parents say many young people—mostly boys—are facing similar problems. A national survey by Common Sense Media found that 36% of U.S. boys ages 11 to 17 had gambled in the past year. Michael Robb, the organization’s head of research, notes that some gambling formats—like fantasy football or March Madness brackets—can be harmless social activities, but for a subset of kids those activities already show worrying signs of harm.
The landscape has changed rapidly since a 2018 Supreme Court decision cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting. What began with one state has grown to 38 by 2024, and research reported in JAMA shows U.S. consumer spending on sports betting jumped from about $4.9 billion before that decision to roughly $121 billion by 2023. Although people under 18 are not legally permitted to gamble, experts say access is effectively ubiquitous.
“If I wanted to bet on the [Washington] Nationals 20 years ago, as a teenager I’d go find a bookie and place a bet,” says Matt Missar, a Pittsburgh addiction counselor. “Nowadays I can bet on every single pitch of a game.” Much of the growth is on smartphones, he adds: it is incredibly easy. Missar, who treats gambling and video-game addictions, reports more young adults seeking help and says many problems begin at 13 or 14 and then worsen over years.
Freudenberg says online gambling often looks like ordinary screen time—texting, gaming, watching videos—so parents miss the signs. She believes the removal of practical barriers, like needing to drive to a casino or show ID, has made it easier for children to slide into addiction.
After several rehab attempts, her son returned to college and is doing better. Freudenberg helped launch a support group for parents, Parents Standing Together (https://parentsstandingtogether.org/), which is growing. She fears many families have yet to grasp the scope of the problem: “The tsunami is on the horizon,” she warns. “And it’s gonna be really, really bad.”