Teen gambling is a problem, but how common is it? According to recent research, about one-quarter of Connecticut teenagers have reported gambling in the past year. The project, conducted by researchers from four US institutions, examined the relationship between adolescent gambling and other risky behaviors. Many of those teens who gambled had experienced past trauma and were also prone to making other sorts of dangerous decisions beyond gambling.
The collaborative study—undertaken by researchers associated with Yale University in Connecticut, Middlebury College in Vermont, Connecticut Mental Health Center, and the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling—also found gambling among adolescents was associated with traumatic experiences, depression/dysphoria, poor academic performance, and less social support.
The researchers argue their findings “provide an up-to-date estimate of the current prevalence and correlates of gambling among Connecticut adolescents.” They also suggest the results highlight the need for a deeper dive into specific factors—like social support—that may be useful in tailoring youth-focused interventions.
Study sought to address gaps in existing research
As the authors highlight, adolescent gambling is a public health concern linked to suicidality, risk behaviors, and poor health outcomes. They also note a limited grasp of specific risk and protective factors impacting gambling behavior in Connecticut teens, particularly amid a changing gambling landscape.
The team sought to address gaps in the existing research by analyzing recent data to examine associations between past-year gambling and other risk behaviors. The authors specifically name substance use, including tobacco and electronic vapor use, sexual risks, problematic use of digital technologies, and risky school-related activities among those behaviors.
For this inquiry, they analyzed data collected via Connecticut’s 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey [YRBS] from the year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The YRBS is a biennial, cross-sectional, school-based survey. It is part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For this exploratory study, the team had two specific aims:
- To provide an up-to-date, pre-pandemic estimate of the prevalence of past-year gambling among Connecticut high-school students
- To identify sociodemographic characteristics associated with gambling and assess trauma exposure, other risk behaviors, suicidality, homelessness, health status, academics, and social support related to gambling
To measure adolescent gambling, the team relied on the answers to a single question in the 99-item questionnaire:
During the past 12 months, how many times have you gambled on a sports team, gambled when playing cards or a dice game, played one of your state’s lottery games, gambled on the Internet, or bet on a game of personal skill such as pool or a video game?
Results found 25% of youth gambled in the past year
According to problem behavior theory [PBT], risky actions, including gambling, often co-occur.
While some theories suggest engagement in one risk behavior may displace others, PBT claims the opposite. Instead, it argues that as one type of problematic behavior increases, other problem behaviors are more likely to spike.
Following that line, the researchers hypothesized that youth reporting past-year gambling would have lower grades and be more likely to engage in other questionable behaviors. As noted, examples of the latter include alcohol and drug use, tobacco, vaping, risky sex, and violence or aggression.
They also expected that adolescents who experienced less parental support would be more likely to engage in problematic behaviors. Finally, they predicted gambling participation would be particularly prevalent among older male youth and tied to experiences of trauma and suicidality.
Findings show gambling associated with trauma, risky behavior
Through their analysis, the team found that among a total of 1,807 adolescents, 453 (25.4%) reported past-year gambling. The rate is nearly 7% higher than 2017’s 18.6% result. Further, among adolescents who gambled, 17.4% were classified as being at-risk, while 10.4% indicated problem/pathological gambling traits. Among the latter, 52.3% met the full criteria for a gambling disorder.
While half of those who gambled reported partaking only once or twice, 12.7% of gambling reported gambling 20 or more times. Meanwhile, 8.4% reported more than 40 gambling experiences during the previous year.
As expected, the researchers found gambling prevalence higher among older male youth and associations between gambling, suicidality, and risk behaviors. Specifically, youth who gambled reported more frequent risky activities, including alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use, unsafe driving and sex, and violence and aggressive behaviors.
Further, those who gambled were more likely to report trauma experiences, including bullying, physical violence, sexual assault, homelessness, and low social support.
Notably, gambling prevalence was lower in adolescents of Asian ethnicity.
The team noted that according to earlier findings, social support could influence relationships between gambling and other risk-taking behaviors. Specifically, researchers previously found support from parents, teachers, and friends may decrease the likelihood of risky behaviors, including gambling.
Gambling ‘relatively common’ among state youth
Overall, the authors said their results suggest gambling is a “relatively common” activity among Connecticut’s adolescents, necessitating the ability to identify youth at risk. This requirement, they added, may be particularly relevant in states that have legalized online and sports gambling, like Connecticut.
Relatedly, they noted that youth participation in gambling had steadily declined in Connecticut between 2007 to 2017. However, they said these results show youth gambling participation has jumped in the years since.
Given that adolescents may be increasingly exposed to various gambling opportunities, especially online, it is important to identify individuals at risk, monitor the consequences of gambling, and refer individuals for help when needed.
They also suggest the rise of eSports and daily fantasy sports (DFS) may have influenced sports-related gambling behaviors, particularly among young men. They note how DFS companies have begun offering online sports gambling, which became legal in Connecticut in 2021.
The growing exposure to and availability of gambling opportunities may pose a significant risk to adolescents, who might not fully understand potential consequences. Although underage gambling can significantly impact adolescents’ lives, it often remains unrecognized by teachers and parents until it reaches problematic levels.
Social support may insulate youth from gambling, other risks
The authors recommend that prevention and intervention efforts should simultaneously address risk-taking alongside gambling activity. In particular, they highlight the importance of administrators’ and teachers’ ability to recognize the possible links between gambling, other risks, and the implications for adolescent health.
They argue that early life stressors, adverse childhood experiences, and trauma warrant screening and assessment. Further, because adequate social support may cushion youth from falling into gambling and related problems, they say strengthening social support may prove beneficial.
Social support may be a crucial component of intervention strategies for adolescent gambling and its correlates. Strong familial relationships and open communication between adolescents and parents may reduce the likelihood of involvement in risky behaviors overall and in gambling in particular. Adolescent gambling should be considered an important public health issue because it clusters with other unhealthy behaviors, which may increase the risk of negative health outcomes over time.
Finally, the authors recognize the study may suffer from several limitations, including reporting bias.
Among them, the authors note that since the 2019 survey, COVID-19 and related stress may have influenced gambling, other risks, and mental health. Thus, they call for additional research into the pandemic’s impact on youth gambling.
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