Two decades after the first casino opened in Pennsylvania — paving the way for many older residents to get hooked on slot machines — gambling interests have moved on to kids.

The explosion of online gambling, sports betting apps, and prediction markets has tapped into younger and younger gamblers, especially young men and teenage boys.

A recent study found that more than a third of boys between the ages of 11 and 17 admitted to gambling in the past year. Kids as young as 11 have become addicted to online gambling apps and prediction markets, according to a report in The Inquirer.

The Philadelphia media market — which includes Southeastern Pennsylvania and Central and South Jersey — ranks No. 1 for online gambling in the country. Internet gambling and sports wagering revenues alone topped $6 billion in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in 2024, up from about $3.6 billion in 2021.

That’s hardly something to celebrate, since it just means residents have billions less to spend on basic necessities like food, rent, and healthcare. It’s also billions less to spend on other entertainment like restaurants, movies, and concerts.

After all, the gambling industry is largely built on taking rather than making anything. And many of the people doing the losing are the most vulnerable.

As gambling losses pile up, they add to the economic struggle many families are facing as prices for gas, groceries, housing, and utilities climb. Now add to the mix the growing number of gamblers who become addicted — including many teens and young men.

The number of calls to the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline regarding online gambling problems jumped 180% in Pennsylvania and 160% in New Jersey from 2021 to 2024.

Gamblers must be 21 to enter a casino or gamble online in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and 18 to buy lottery tickets in both states. But many underage gamblers still find their way into casinos. Meanwhile, many tech-savvy kids also bypass online security hurdles by using borrowed credentials from an older sibling or a parent, or use unregulated offshore sportsbooks and crypto casinos that require virtually no age verification.

As reported in The Inquirer, there are also apps like Stadium Live, which bills itself as a prediction game in which users may pay a monthly fee to wager with virtual coins. While no real money is lost (other than the subscription cost), it’s essentially a gateway to gambling for younger players.

While states don’t have control over the offshore and crypto sites, much of the blame for the explosion in legal online gambling and sports betting sites like FanDuel and DraftKings rests with Pennsylvania lawmakers and other states that approved the various forms of gambling, including casinos.

Pennsylvania first legalized slot machines in 2004. Online gambling — which allowed residents to bet through ubiquitous mobile devices — was legalized in 2017, followed by sports betting the following year.

The nonstop ads on TV and streaming services lure in more and more gamblers, leading to the growth in addiction. Pennsylvania routinely touts the tax revenue gambling brings, but downplays the many lives that get ruined to help fund state coffers.

Now, kids are getting ensnared in Harrisburg’s gambling racket.

Lawmakers enabling gambling companies to prey on people’s vulnerabilities is a sad legacy — and even worse public policy.

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