Rutgers survey finds 43% of U.S. teens under 18 bet on outcomes with money

The U.S. gambling market has expanded into mobile apps and prediction platforms, creating new revenue streams for financial technology firms. A new survey from Rutgers University's Center for Gambling Studies indicates that 43% of American teens aged 13 to 17 placed a bet with money in the last year.

The study, released Wednesday, analyzed responses from nearly 1,700 participants aged 13 to 27. Researchers found that 52.5% of the total sample reported gambling activity. Among those 17 and under, a group for whom gambling is typically illegal, the participation rate reached nearly 43%.

This data marks the first national prevalence study of U.S. adolescents and young adults in nearly 20 years. The team conducted the survey during spring and early summer 2026. They did not provide a direct trend line comparing these figures to previous years, noting that methodologies differ from older research.

Lia Nower, the director of the Rutgers center and lead author, stated that gambling is now embedded in video games and sports broadcasts. She noted that 52.5% of respondents engaged in one of 21 classified activities, which include lottery tickets, street games, and cryptocurrency trading. The definition relies on staking money or material value on an event with an uncertain outcome.

Scratch-off tickets were the most common activity among gamblers. Bingo and lottery tickets followed. Approximately 20% of respondents who bet said they participated in sports betting. Just over 6% reported betting in prediction markets.

The report identifies specific risk levels among participants. Nearly 40% of those who gambled showed symptoms of problem gambling. Ten percent of the total gambling sample were classified as high-risk problem gamblers. Among teens 17 and under who reported gambling, about 11% were classified as high risk for problems.

The legal landscape for betting has shifted in recent years. More than eight years have passed since the Supreme Court struck down a federal law that banned states from allowing sports gambling. Sports betting is now legal in 39 states and Washington, D.C. Mobile gambling apps, which combine casino options with sports wagers, have seen increased popularity.

Nower described the findings as a wake-up call for policymakers and health professionals. She argued that prevention must start before young people reach adulthood to address the high rates of problem gambling. The report suggests that screening and public policy need to adapt to the current gambling environment.