As online sports betting apps grow in popularity across the country, they are not only gaining traction with adults but have also found a new market in teenagers. 

Nationwide, according to Common Sense Media, around 36% of teen boys ages 11-17 have gambled in the past year.

Apps like PrizePics, DraftKings, and FanDuel are becoming some of the biggest companies in America, with sports betting apps receiving a record $16.9 billion in 2025. 

Even with growing competition from prediction markets, more and more Americans are placing sports bets, with a total of $166 billion legally bet on sports in 2025 – a 11% increase from 2024. 

This phenomena has reached high schools nationwide, with teen boys in particular becoming a major market for sports betting companies. 

In a recent survey The Beacon took of 130 JR students, 23% of respondents reported gambling, and 12% reported sports betting. 

However, this number skyrocketed when looking at just boys, with 50% of boys reporting that they gamble and around 25% reporting that they bet on sports. 

The majority of those who gambled reported doing so through their friends, with poker nights or small bets amongst friends around sports games or other events. 

However, around 15% of those who reported gambling said they placed bets through online sports betting apps, like DraftKings.

An anonymous Senior said that “sports betting is very prevalent among my friends, around half of my close friends sports bet on a regular basis.” They said that “the most common way people I know sports bet is through online gambling apps like PrizePics.”

Another anonymous Senior agreed saying that he mainly uses PrizePics, and he “started a couple years ago” and says he made “around $200 net once cashed out.”

However, not all students have had a positive experience with sports betting. 

Another anonymous senior said, “sports betting is a scam that doesn’t feel like one.” 

At first, he said, “I thought that I could beat the system” because “after the first couple of wins, they hook you before you start losing and you try to chase your losses” until “you realize you’re not going to win anything back.”

He said that “it’s designed to be addicting, they utilize dopamine just like social media.”

However, not all students report seeing sports betting in such a prevalent way. Of those surveyed, upperclassmen were more likely to report having gambled or sports bet than underclassmen.

An anonymous freshman said that “very few of my friends sports bet, maybe around 2 or 3 of them, and even then it’s really small amounts, like $10 or $20.” 

In general, most people reported placing very small bets, around $5 or $10 on each bet. An anonymous senior said that “most of my friends place less than $10 on each bet, and only go over that on really rare occasions.”

However, that number varied dramatically with one person even saying they had placed $6,700 on a single bet. 

Legally, you must be over 18 to sports bet in DC, however most states require you to be over 21. DC is one of only 6 places in the country that only require people to be 18. 

However, many people find easy ways to get around that.

For example, when you sign up for an account on DraftKings, it requires you to check a box saying that you agree to the Terms of Use and confirm that you are at least 18, but it requires no confirmation or evidence to prove your age. 

The majority of respondents to the Beacon survey who said they partook in online sports betting said that they had simply lied about their age to be able to sports bet, while a small subset said they had gotten their parents to help them set up an account. 

An anonymous senior said that “it’s very easy to [evade the age restrictions’, you just use a crypto wallet or parents credit card.” 

They added that, “you don’t even need a social security number for some and all you have to do is add your credit card and you can immediately play.”

As sports betting and prediction markets become a more prevalent issue nationwide, teenagers are finding ways around laws and restrictions, getting swept up, and turning to online gambling as a form of entertainment. •