Nearly 43% of Teens Gambled in the Past Year, Study Finds

A new study from the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University has shed light on the alarming prevalence of gambling among teenagers. The study, titled “Adolescent and Young Adult Gambling in the United States,” surveyed individuals aged 13 to 27 and found that 52.5% of young Americans reported gambling in the past year. Among adolescents ages 13 to 17, the figure was 42.7%.

One of the most concerning findings was that 10.8% of adolescents were classified as being at high risk for problem gambling. Nearly 40% of those who wagered reported some level of problem gambling risk. The study highlighted that younger Americans have embraced gambling more since the Supreme Court overturned the virtual ban on gambling outside Nevada in 2018.

The study also revealed pronounced racial and ethnic differences. Black Americans had the highest prevalence of gambling over the last year at 63.9%. Among those who gambled, 17.7% of Black respondents and 12.8% of Hispanic respondents were classified as high risk, compared with 6.4% of white respondents. The impact was felt even more among those with lower household incomes. About 30% of those from households earning less than $10,000 annually were classified as high risk. Among those from households earning $10,000 to under $20,000, that number reached 22.8%.