Sports gambling has seen a meteoric rise in America in the last five years; from the NBA, to college sports, even the length of the national anthem, and even what color Gatorade will be dumped on the head of the winning head coach, if there is something sports related, there is a good chance there are people willing to put money on it. Sports betting has recently taken off with younger people, especially high school students, many of whom see it as a fun way to make a little money and get the rush of adrenaline that comes with taking a chance and breaking the law.
Back in 2018, Nevada was the only state that had legalized sports betting. Today, 36 states allow for sports gambling with North Carolina, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Mississippi allowing for limited sports betting and others with legislation pending. In some states, sports books are legal for those as young as 18, including Washington D.C. In 2022, the industry generated $1.5 billion for 27 states, with New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois raking in over $100 million, according to Route Fifty News.
Sports betting is not legal until the age of 21 in the state of Virginia, but this age limit does not seem to have deterred all students, so the students interviewed for this article will remain anonymous.
When asked, students gave a variety of answers as to why they first decided to get into sports gambling. Some saw it as a way of staying engaged with a sport they cared about or had interest in. As one sophomore boy put it, “It helped me to engage and have fun with basketball by choosing which teams I thought would win after March Madness ended.” Others saw it as a natural progression in the life of a fan; as you start to learn more about a sport and the teams, your instincts improve and you are able to make more informed picks. For example, a person who follows the NFL would know that Aaron Rodgers owns a 24-5 record against the Bears or that the Steelers hold a 37-8-1 record against the Browns since 2000. As someone gets more and more knowledgeable about a sport, the statistics they use and the bets they make become more advanced. The most obvious reason for the popularity in sports betting is the chance to make money. A junior boy said it best: “It’s a lucrative opportunity, there is a lot of money to be made, made everyday, every sports game there is.”
Sports gambling is a recent phenomenon at SSSAS. Most students interviewed said that they started gambling late in 2022 or in early 2023. This fits with the seasons of some of the most popular sports to bet on: NFL, NBA, and NCAA college basketball. Using sites such as Fanduel and DraftKings, underage users are easily able to bypass the age restrictions. In some cases, all that is required is simply checking a box to confirm their age, while others need the permission of a parent.
From there, the progression followed a pattern. Beginning with small bets on familiar topics, many were able to make a small amount of money. Those that started with large bets starting in the hundreds often ended up on the losing end. A different junior boy talked about how he lost $180 on his first bet. He was picking an NFL game and made the mistake of picking with his heart over his head.
It is impossible to write a sports gambling article without acknowledging that quite a few people have made a large amount of money in a short amount of time. One student confidently told me that he has made almost $500 in the last three months, while another who took a more conservative approach has made $150 making bets mostly between five and ten dollars.
One of the powerful dangers that comes with sports betting is the possibility of addiction. This is the reason that at the end of every gambling commercial, there is always a warning sign hidden at the bottom with a number to a gambling addiction hotline. Gambling addiction is very much a real threat, especially for young people. According to the Pew Research Center and a report from the National Council on Problem Gambling, “4% to 6% of high schoolers are considered addicted to gambling,” the group says, a number that has probably grown since July of 2022 when the survey was conducted. The risk is especially high for young men who make up the vast majority of sports bettors. When asked about the risks of gambling addiction, one upperclassman said, “Gambling addiction is definitely real, I haven’t seen any real effects yet but as soon as I open my phone that’s the first app I check, check the lines and place a couple bets to make some money. I could see how it could get worse for me as it goes by.”
When asked what they would tell people thinking about getting into sports betting, students had similar advice. First start with small, lower risk bets. Secondly, know what you are betting on. As one senior put it, “Make sure you do your research and don’t just throw bets out there.” Many who have started gambling more recently seem to have the impression that losing money isn’t a real possibility. The idea that, “There’s winners and there’s quitters, there’s no losers,” as an upperclassman said, is a common misconception. It is interesting that out of four of the people interviewed, two that said they began sports betting over a year ago, a sophomore and a senior, both of them have about as much money now that they put in when they started. On the other hand, the two people that began betting more recently both reported making more money than they put in, sometimes by a dramatic amount. Even though this is a small sample size, it shows how some people experience some beginners’ luck and get drawn into gambling, only to eventually lose it.
This article is in no way intended to encourage high schoolers to get into sports betting. In fact, it is important to remember that when playing the odds, you don’t always win. One tenth grade student described how he extensively researched the Texas vs Miami March Madness game, felt that Texas was going to win, and still lost $200 on the game. No matter how smart you may think you are or how much research you might think you have put in, it’s impossible to outsmart Vegas and there’s only so many times a person can beat the odds.
