You’ve probably seen billboards or video ads on sports betting, and you may think there’s no harm, and that it may be even fun. The widespread legalization of sports betting in recent years has led to many people—especially young people—to become hooked, compromising their priorities of work and academics. It doesn’t help that athletes competing IN the sports competitions also seem to want in.
So, I wondered: How large is this issue in reality? Does it happen in AISB? I sent a survey to students in Grade 6-12 to get their insights, here’s what I found out!
Over 25% of AISB student respondents reported they had witnessed a peer gamble on sports before.
The Bite’s survey of twenty Secondary students in grades 6-12
What Trends Have We Seen?
The world has seen dramatic changes as well as an increase in sports gambling, especially in young people, as betting companies have evolved and made it more easier for people to bet, namely online, on phones and in apps.
In the U.S, sports gambling has been especially prevalent since a 2018 Supreme Court ruling legalizing sports gambling in the majority of states. In those states, credit scores dropped and bankruptcies increased significantly after the Supreme Court ruling.
Furthermore, a survey conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University obtained by Investopedia indicates that 10% of men between 18-30 displayed behaviors that amounted to addictive or problematic gambling behavior related to sports gambling, such as borrowing money for the activity, compromising academics, and work.
Another survey conducted by Owen Fleming, doctoral candidate at Wayne State University according to Investopedia indicates that men aged 18-25 are sacrificing time from either academics or work, about 2 hours, dedicated to sports gambling. This is particularly troubling as people at this age are at the crucial final stages of education, and are starting to get financial footprints (e.g credit scores)and are beginning to start their own jobs to become self-reliant.
It also doesn’t help that we’ve also seen in the U.S a surge in sports gambling related scandals involving professional athletes.
Recently, for example, in October 2025, Terry Rozier, a player for the Miami Heat, was accused of using internal NBA information for placing bets. Damon Jones, former player for the Cleveland Cavaliers is also accused of passing internal NBA information onwards with the purpose for sports betting.
More teams are also accepting sponsorships from these betting companies, further increasing their presence in sports and raising more awareness of the existence of the activity. Many young people already watch sports, and this risks having sports betting reach more and more young people, possibly getting them hooked.
For example, Everton F.C is sponsored by Stake.Com, a casino and betting company.
They aren’t alone. Aston Villa, in the Premier League, has sponsorship deals with sports betting company Betano, with some jerseys featuring the brand in the front.
These very well-known people that many once looked up to as role models are setting the wrong examples for many who look towards them, and it risks having very widespread and serious consequences.
What Are the Consequences?
led his experiences as a young man interacting with sports gambling apps. He said during college, he had because of the digitalization of these betting apps, he could conveniently gamble his financial aid and paychecks anytime anywhere very easily, which was what he had done.
Drug addicts have to go out and get a syringe or something like that. \For gamblers, that syringe is loaded and in your pocket.
-Howard, Young adult, former gambling addict
Here in Romania, for example, that “syringe” can be a number of things. If you don’t haveYouTube Premium, chances are, like me, you’ve seen ads for a number of sports betting companies available in Romania, even when you aren’t watching things relevant to sports.
One I have seen over and over again would be Sportsbet, which originated in Romania and now is expanding into other countries. Others include Betano and favbet, amongst other international and local companies.
Another instance of young people falling deep into the sports betting spiral is a man called “Ethan,” who agreed to share his experience via CNN, recalled how when the U.S Supreme Court left it up to the states to decide the legality of sports betting, his addiction “quickly escalated” as previously he had done it discretely on illegal websites. His gambling addiction led him to quitting a six figure sales position to pursue sports betting full time. We now know the result: a wave of anxiety and blurs of profits and losses that in the end got him nowhere.
These examples are just one of many young people who are now struggling to break the cycle of addiction to this type of gambling, and with AISB being a school with students which also comprises of adolescents and young adults, I wanted to find out if sports gambling was something that people here knew about and if it happens here.
To start, sports gambling–especially addictive, unmoderated gambling, puts young people’s financial situations at risk, very quickly.
What Does AISB Think About Sports Betting?
According to an anonymous survey conducted by The Bite in spring 2026, 40% of grade 6-12 respondents stated that they believe young people’s low perceptions of risk led young people to gamble on sports. Other factors that many had mentioned were peer pressure, the desire for a lot of money in a short period of time, as well as athletes being bad role models.
While the general opinion of students at AISB was that sports gambling usually has negative outcomes, some AISB students felt it was fine as long as it was done in moderation; while others said it does not affect the integrity of sports, as it happens off pitch and allows the audience to “fully emerge into the game.”
Do AISB Students Engage In Sports Gambling?
According to the Bite’s survey, over 25% of the respondents indicated that they had witnessed a peer gamble on sports before.
When asked what they thought had motivated that peer to do so, one simply said “for fun” while another said that they think the peer was just being naive and taking “dumb risks.”
A third said that they believe the parents of their peers are being “ignorant,” and kept on supporting them financially with their sports betting, adding that they were referring to multiple different people.
Some others also stated that they believe their peer was sports gambling because they were very confident in their teams and wanted to “support” them by putting money on their matches. A number of respondents also said they engaged in moderated friendly bets that involved friends and family for fun.
What Needs To Change In This Industry?
In this case, governments play a big role. Governments need to regulate the sports betting industry strictly in order to better protect it from being utilized harmfully, exploited, and manipulated.
Regulations that aim to help combat gambling addiction are necessary. Regulations such as the ability to self-exclude and setting deposit limits, amongst other features, can greatly help with combatting an already prevalent issue regarding sports betting in the world.
The Lancet Public Health Commission via the Harvard Kennedy School also recommended that sports betting to be designated as a public health issue, and consider the health and well being of people over financial gains when creating policies. They also recommended that promotion and marketing of the activity be limited, and public campaigns be launched in order to gradually de-normalize gambling, both of which was also suggested by some AISB survey respondents when asked what they thought should be done to combat sports gambling.
However, we have yet to see whether these concepts of reform will be heeded by the majority of governments, and until then, millions remain trapped in the vicious cycle of anxiety and financial ruin inflicted on them by the world of sports gambling.