Tony Coder is the CEO of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.
Teresa Lampl is the CEO of The Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers.
Sports betting is everywhere. You can’t watch a game on television without seeing a commercial or an on-screen graphic promoting sportsbooks.
Major networks have betting analysts in place to give tips to viewers on popular bets to make. And now, some teams are even leasing out patches on their jerseys to these sports betting companies.
While the legal betting age in Ohio is 21, we’re seeing growing numbers of our kids who are finding ways to place bets. And this is quickly raising concern about the financial and mental health repercussions that gambling places on young people.
Ohioans are paying the cost
The sports betting industry has never been bigger. But neither have the consequences.
In Ohio specifically, the state has cashed in on sportsbook tax revenue since sports betting was legalized in 2023. Last year, Ohio sportsbooks generated more than $1 billion, with 20% going directly to the state. But that also comes at a hefty price for our people. Annual calls to the Ohio Gambling Helpline have nearly doubled in the past few years, skyrocketing to nearly 10,000 calls.
The damage to household stability is significant. A 2025 U.S. Newssurvey revealed that 1 in 4 regular sports bettors have missed essential bill payments like rent and utilities.
There are also devastating mental health consequences as mounting debts often lead to despair. Public health data shows individuals who are struggling with gambling are 15 times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population.
Our kids are waggering
Despite age restrictions on betting, kids are still finding ways to do it.
A Common Sense Media study found more than a third of U.S. boys from ages 11 to 17 said they gambled in some form during the past year. Young people living on college campuses are especially vulnerable. A national study showed 67% of on-campus students identified as a bettor.
Long gone are the days when checking IDs at the doors of casinos was enough to keep kids from making bets; wagers can be placed within seconds from a few clicks on a smartphone.
The betting applications do have filters, but kids are finding ways to skirt around the access barriers. Kids are lying about their age when creating a betting account, some are using VPNs to ease account registration, and others are placing bets on their parent’s phone.
Compounding the issue is the fact that approximately two-thirds of American teenagers possess their own bank accounts or debit card, giving them a direct pipeline to deposit funds.
Before the sports betting industry exploded in recent years, sports were more about rooting for your favorite team because of an affinity.
What can parents do?
But now, sports have become much more than a game. For many youth, sports are now synonymous with the opportunity to place a bet, as they’ve only known one with the other. And with the prevalence of sports in our society, where will this lead us?
As many of us with kids know, they’re very impressionable. The marketing tactics from these sportsbooks are aggressive and often effective. And studies show kids are more susceptible to addictions like gambling than adults. Especially in a time of their life when they might not fully understand the risks they’re taking when placing a bet. The industry poses a number of risks for our youth, but there are some active steps parents can take to protect their children from mounting debt and developing an addiction.
The state has proposed a bill to make the accessibility of sports betting more difficult. The result of the legislation remains to be seen, but Ohio families cannot afford to wait before becoming more aware of the risks gambling poses to our children. With betting options following kids wherever they go, protecting their future must start at home.
Tony Coder is the CEO of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, where he leads efforts to reduce suicide stigma, strengthen behavioral health supports, and promote community well-being across Ohio.
Teresa Lampl is the CEO of The Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers, representing over 175 community-based behavioral healthcare organizations.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sports no longer about ‘the game’ for our kids. They are being hooked | Opinion
Reporting by Tony Coder and Teresa Lampl, Guest Columists / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tony Coder and Teresa Lampl, Guest Columists | USA TODAY Network
