A high school kid who’s not even old enough to drive can open an app, place a bet on the next football game, and lose their money in seconds. Online gambling which was once an adult only activity has turned into teenagers losing their money betting on sports or playing games and losing their money. Online gambling has become a trap for teenagers. Most see it as an easy way to make some money or see it as entertainment but it is causing lasting problems as teens are becoming more addicted to gambling. In recent years betting apps have become more popular and sports gambling has been more normalized while companies are continuing to ignore the underage gamblers who use their sites.
Online gambling sites have turned their marketing focus to attract minors to open accounts on their app. For instance, in her article “Experts say increased access to online gambling may put teens at risk” Clark claims, “These companies have turned their sites to look like harmless games like fantasy football and these sites are using bright colors, redeemable points that you earn, and are using athletes teens look up to for promotion”. Here, Clark explains why these sites are becoming so addictive for teenagers because they use specific tactics, like relatability, to make their sites seem like harmless games. And the technology behind these apps isn’t just allowing underage gambling they are purposely trying to encourage it.
Online gambling sites have purposefully weak security making it easy for teens to create accounts on their sites. These companies are making billions from having weak security that is allowing anyone to sign up and deposit their money. For example, in his article “Online gambling on the rise among high school students” Carrillo claims, “A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania revealed that 2.9 million kids play cards for money, 580,000 of them online. Weak age restrictions are only making it easier for high schoolers to use these apps and websites”. Here, Carrillo explains just how many teenagers are gambling online for money and how this is a result of these gambling companies not having the proper security and age verification strategies in place to stop underage gambling. When security is this weak in stopping who can sign up, it changes from a problem of curiosity to a problem of accessibility, making it easier than ever for teens to gamble online without anyone realizing.
However, some argue that gambling is a personal choice and it’s up to the person betting to use the technology responsibly. But when gambling sites continue being made to replicate video games that contain features meant to keep teens engaged it’s not really on the teen to stop. This is a design problem not a discipline problem these sites are specifically designed to target teenagers and keep them engaged. Gambling companies are aware of how easy it is to bypass their security but they continue to appeal to teenagers because they know it will make them more money.
Lawmakers and tech companies need to take real action in stopping underage gambling. They need to be stricter with ID verification and require it for all gambling sites and companies should be forced to pay fines if minors are caught on their sites. Also gambling sites should stop trying to target teenagers and stop making their sites seem like harmless games with no consequences. These steps would make gambling apps more restrictive and harder to access for teenagers and less appealing for teen
agers to try and sign up for. And stopping these kids from underage gambling is about preventing debt and addiction that is being caused by gambling.
Teens shouldn’t be treated like normal customers in an industry that causes addiction. The more we continue to ignore this issue the more teenagers will get involved in it. It’s more important than ever to stop letting gambling companies take over the lives of teenagers and let lawmakers finally put real limits on technology that is hurting them.