High School Age Kids Now Gambling on Online Casinos
Published:
Apr 29, 2025
,
12:50 p.m.
ET
Key Points:
Online casinos, including digital poker rooms, are now being frequented by high schoolers who are able to access them due to weak age restrictions and regulations.
The University of Pennsylvania found that 2.9 million kids ages 14-22 play cards for money, with 580,000 doing so online.
Easy mobile access, peer pressure, a lack of regulation and create dangerous circumstances for teen gamblers.
Early exposure to gambling significantly increases the risk of developing long-term addiction issues.
————
As detailed in a recent New York Post article written by guest author Isaac Carrillo, an 11th-grader at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, NY., high schoolers are gambling in late-night virtual poker rooms, wagering hundreds of dollars in a single hand. This is not a scene from a Las Vegas casino, and scenes like this aren’t isolated anymore. This is a real high school poker game with ordinary high school kids, happening online, and it’s occurring across high schools nationwide.
Online gambling is a unique, quiet, dangerous and rapidly growing social phenomenon. While adult gamblers head to casinos or regulated apps, teens are gathering around their computers and phones to play virtual poker and other casino games for real money. Online tables are packed deep into the night, with some students routinely staying up until 3 a.m. gambling away hundreds of dollars.
And it’s not just poker. Sports betting has also seeped into high school life. Fueled by the rise of online casinos, sweepstakes platforms, offshore platforms and modern-day "bookies," high school students are finding more ways than ever to access real-money gambling.
How are high schoolers gambling in virtual casinos?
Despite most regulated online casinos requiring users to be 21 or older, the weak identity verification systems of offshore websites allow underage players to slip through the cracks.
Some teenagers use a parent’s ID, others sign up for offshore poker apps or sweepstakes platforms disguised as “free-to-play” contests. These platforms allow users as young as 18 (and sometimes younger) gamble with "tokens" convertible to cash prizes, offering a low-barrier entry point for underage gamblers.
Operating outside U.S. regulation, offshore sites skip age verification entirely, providing little or no consumer protections.
In poker, a high school student can lose hundreds of dollars on a single hand, in the blink of an eye, and all high schoolers often lack the maturation in the brain to easily control such impulses.
Easy mobile access, social media influence, peer pressure and the thrill of risk make gambling feel harmless. At first, debts may seem manageable, such as $5 or $10 owed to a friend. But losses can spiral fast. In some high schools, students are casually talking about $300 debts or even losing more than $1,500.
What's often brushed off as "kids being kids" hides the reality of financial stress, secrecy and early addiction patterns. As explained in our guide on students gambling, early exposure to gambling is a major predictor of future addiction issues.
Betting among high school students and teenage populations: Stats & trends
A study from the University of Pennsylvania found that 2.9 million kids ages 14-22 play cards for money, with 580,000 doing so online. Yale Medicine research reveals that while about 1% of U.S. adults struggle with gambling addiction, that number jumps to between 2-7% among teenagers and young adults. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, 60-80% of high schoolers report gambling at least once in the past year.
The Office of Problem Gambling Services reports that children introduced to betting by age 12 are four times more likely to develop gambling problems later. From a brain development standpoint, adolescents' still-maturing frontal cortices make them especially vulnerable to risky, impulsive behaviors like gambling, because the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and impulse control isn’t fully developed.
These sobering statistics highlight the vulnerability of younger brains, and without proper education around the dangers of gambling, teenagers are exposed to risks they aren't prepared to handle. Most high schools still don't offer any real education about gambling addiction, despite these troubling statistics.
Worried about your betting? Connect with Birches Health today by clicking here, calling 833-483-3838 or emailing help@bircheshealth.com
Trickle-down effect from college to high school students
The explosion of gambling on college campuses has contributed to this new wave among high schoolers. As we’ve explored the gambling epidemic at colleges, college students now face unprecedented access to sports betting and online casinos, often with devastating consequences.
High schoolers, seeing older peers glorify big wins (and hiding the many more losses), are increasingly following suit. As online gambling culture seeps downward, teenagers find ways to emulate college students’ behavior, even if it’s illegal and highly risky.
Social media further fuels the fire. Students post poker "highlights" and casino wins on apps like Snapchat and TikTok, creating an illusion that gambling is easy, fun, and largely consequence-free.
Cracking down on unregulated online gaming platforms
The most dangerous avenues for teen gamblers may be offshore sites and sweepstakes platforms that are either outright illegal or operate in legal gray zones. These platforms avoid regulation by hiding behind technicalities, making it easy for underage users to gamble.
Crackdowns have begun though. Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Connecticut, and Washington have all moved to shut down or limit sweepstakes casinos like Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW). Also, The American Gaming Association (AGA) has called for federal and state governments to close the loopholes that allow sweepstakes and offshore sites to operate without real oversight.
Despite enforcement efforts, the battle is far from over. As some sites are taken down, new ones pop up. Without tighter regulation and better education for youth and parents, these platforms will continue to prey on vulnerable teenagers.
Gambling Addiction treatment options for younger individuals
Birches Health understands gambling addiction doesn’t wait for adulthood. Therefore, education and early intervention is necessary.
Younger individuals struggling with gambling addiction often need specialized treatment that addresses both the addiction itself and the underlying developmental and emotional factors that fuel it. Therapy can involve:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) tailored for youth
Family counseling and support groups
Technology use monitoring
Development of healthier coping mechanisms and social activities
Education about financial responsibility and the long-term impacts of debt
The earlier the intervention, the better the chance of preventing a lifetime of harmful gambling behaviors.
If you’re worried about your own or a child’s gambling habits, Birches is here to help, offering tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of young individuals and families.
To get started with Birches Health, you can:
Call 833-483-3838
Email help@bircheshealth.com
