According to a newly published report, nearly 8% of Minnesota Students reported gambling at least once a week in 2022, experts believe it's even higher now.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Despite several years of legislative debate over legalizing sports gambling, Minnesota remains firmly planted on the sidelines.
Though sports betting remains illegal here — and in 10 other states — fans are still finding multiple ways to make a wager.
Now, newly published research shows that's also true for Minnesota students.
"I think what it tells us is it's culturally embedded in our community," said Dr. Serena King, a Psychology Professor at Hamline University who has studied youth gambling and problem gambling for 20 years.
King, authored the new letter, “Frequent and Problem Gambling in Public School Students,” which examines data from the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey, a large-scale, statewide study of middle and high school students that happens every three years.
The letter found that nearly 8% of 8th, 9th and 11th grade Minnesota public school students reported gambling one time a week or more,
Dr. King: "And what we found was, it was really sports and games. Around 70-80 percent of our sample who were gambling that often, were gambling on sports and games."
Kent Erdahl: "Are we talking a playground bet with a friend? Are we talking about a sports betting app?"
Dr. King: "Both. Informal and formal sports betting were part of the survey and both were pretty high in terms of the self-report among frequent gamblers."
Data not keeping up
Because the research is based on the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey, experts on problem gambling say the problem is likely even worse today.
"I'm not sure the data is keeping up, necessarily, with what we're seeing," said Susan Sheridan Tucker, Executive Director of the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling (MNAPG), which is bracing for the 2025 survey results due in the next few months. "Teachers are very much acknowledging that they are seeing their students gamble on their phones. It's so accessible," Sheridan Tucker said. "If your child is gambling more than once a week, honestly, that should be a red flag. We've normalized gambling, and I think we're not having the conversations around what the risks are."
When the Minnesota legislature was considering a sports betting bill last year, MNAPG attempted to assess the risk facing Minnesota adults. If found that more than 250,000 Minnesotans already identify as problem gamblers, with 56,000 likely to be diagnosed with a gambling addiction. But finding treatment for that many people would be nearly impossible, because — at the time — there were only 19 providers licensed to treat that addiction.
"I think we're down to 17 providers now," Sheridan Tucker said, acknowledging the difficulty in providing treatment. "This is an addiction that isn't covered by insurance."
If the state legalized sports betting, Sheridan Tucker says it would almost certainly increase funding for more providers, gambling addiction resources and classroom education. But it would also bring added societal cost.
"It's a double-edged sword," King said. "We put protections in place for consumers and youth, which I think good conversations have been happening in our state, and I'm really proud of those conversations. But whenever you legalize a product that becomes widely available, people will be exposed, and that includes youth."
"I listen to, literally, hundreds of recovery stories," Sheridan Tucker said. "One of the first questions asked is, what was your first exposure to gambling and, almost inevitably, they are talking about experiences as young kids."
How to identify and talk about problem gambling
Here are a few signs that a person is engaged in problem gambling:
- Increased frequency of gambling activity.
- Gambling for significantly longer periods of time than originally planned.
- Boasting about wins but never talking about losses.
- Lying about how money is spent.
- Turning to other excesses to relieve gambling stress (alcohol, sleep, video games, etc.).
To encourage a productive conversation about gambling with your child, Sheridan Tucker and Dr. King recommend:
- Discussing the game with your child and family.
- Pick a non-stressful time, such as during a car ride or a fun family activity.
- It is worthwhile to collaborate with your child to develop boundaries around technology use, particularly around games that involve money or virtual currency.
- Watch for time and money that they may be spending and make time to listen to motivations and emotions associated with gaming or gambling.
- Set aside time to view and interact with apps or games together and keep the conversation open.
- Sheridan Tucker and Dr. King caution against abruptly taking away the game, turning off the power or using fear tactics.
- Instead, let your child know you care and are concerned.
If you or someone you know needs support, find help by calling the Minnesota Helpline at 1-800-333-4673 and visit MNAPG’s website: https://mnapg.org/gambling-addiction/youth-gambling/
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