One in three boys between ages 11 and 17 gambled in the past year, mostly online, and often in places parents wouldn’t think to look. Here’s everything you need to know about gambling for kids, including what you can do to protect your child.
You’re probably already aware of sites like PokerStars and DraftKings, but gambling for kids goes beyond the usual suspects. Here are some unexpected culprits to have on your radar.
One of the sneakiest ways that gambling shows up is inside video games.
Loot boxes, gacha pulls, skin cases, and pack opening aren’t typically considered gambling from a legal standpoint, but they share many key characteristics with gambling like risk, reward, and uncertainty. This “gamblification” of video games is concerning because it can shape future gambling habits.
Hundreds of free apps simulate casino play using fake currency. They’re typically designed identically to casino apps that use real money, often including the same psychological triggers such as sounds and visuals. These games teach gambling mechanics and normalize the experience.
As if there wasn’t enough reason to worry about your kid on social media, you can add gambling to the list. It can appear in the following forms:
While sports betting sites are legally restricted by age, kids can find ways in.
These days, there are plenty of pathways to gambling for kids.
Six in ten boys report seeing gambling ads on YouTube and social media, according to a Common Sense Media report.
A majority of kids aren’t seeking this content out: 59% of boys who say they watch gambling videos or streams report that the content just showed up on their feed.
Gambling is highly social: over 80% of boys gamble if their friends do, compared to under 20% if their friends don’t.
One-third of boys have gambled with family members, most commonly lottery or scratch tickets.
Even when the gambling seems innocent (I’ve never blinked twice when my son plays luck-based mini-games inside Zelda), there’s still reason for concern.
Now that you’re aware of the prevalence and risks of gambling for kids, here are some steps you can take to protect your child:
Gambling probably seems like nothing more than a fun game to many kids. Make sure your child is aware of the risks and how even legal activities can be problematic.
Show them examples of gamblification in the games they play (loot boxes, skin cases, and pack opening) and on social media (share or follow to win).
According to the Common Sense Media report, over half of boys say their family has no specific rules about gambling. Be clear with your kids about what is and isn’t okay.
BrightCanary can tell you if your child is gambling online or exploring it. The app monitors everything they type and sends you an alert to anything concerning. You also get access to summaries of their activity and full transcripts.
Psst: Coming soon to BrightCanary, you’ll be able to add gambling and related terms as keywords for the system to monitor.
In the United States, traditional gambling — including sports betting, casino games, and lottery tickets — is illegal for minors in every state. The minimum legal age varies by activity and state, typically ranging from 18 to 21. However, many of the gambling-adjacent activities kids most commonly encounter, like loot boxes, gacha pulls, and simulated casino apps, exist in a legal gray area and are not regulated the same way.
Legally, loot boxes are not classified as gambling in most US states, which is why they're widely available to minors inside video games. However, they share the core mechanics of gambling — spending money for a randomized reward — and research consistently links loot box purchasing to symptoms of problematic gambling, particularly in adolescents. Several other countries, including Belgium and the Netherlands, have moved to regulate or ban them outright.
Warning signs include preoccupation with gambling or gaming for rewards, spending more money than intended on in-game purchases, becoming secretive or defensive about their online activity, mood changes after playing (especially irritability or withdrawal), borrowing money or asking for more than usual, and neglecting school, sleep, or social activities in favor of gambling-adjacent games or content.
Kids rarely tell parents when they're gambling online. Signs to watch for include unexplained charges on a credit card or digital wallet, use of a parent's or sibling's accounts, secretive behavior around their phone or computer, and references to betting or winnings in conversation. BrightCanary monitors everything your child types across all their apps and can alert you if gambling-related content or conversations appear.
Traditional gambling involves wagering real money on an uncertain outcome for a chance to win money back. Gamblification refers to the incorporation of gambling mechanics — randomized rewards, chance-based purchases, the thrill of uncertainty — into non-gambling contexts like video games and social media. While gamblification may not involve real money directly, it normalizes gambling psychology and can shape habits that carry into adulthood.
The goal isn't to alarm them — it's to make sure they can recognize gambling mechanics when they see them and understand why they're designed the way they are. Start with something they already do, like opening packs in a game, and ask them what they think about the randomness of it. Lead with curiosity rather than concern. Kids are more receptive when they feel like they're being included in a conversation rather than lectured.
Gambling for kids shows up in many unexpected ways, such as gamblification in video games and simulated casino play inside social media apps. Normalizing the experience at a young age makes it more likely a child will engage in gambling when they’re of age, and kids who already gamble have a higher likelihood of developing a problem than do adults. To protect your child against online gambling, you should talk to them about the risks and monitor them online.
BrightCanary helps you monitor your child’s activity on the apps they use the most. Download today to get started for free.
