This report looks at adolescent boys' exposure to gambling activities, and the influence of peers, family, and social media on gambling. The research involved a survey of 1,017 boys (aged 11 to 17), nationally representative of the United States population, in July 2025. The findings indicate that gambling has become a part of boys' family activities, social media feeds, games, and interactions with peers. Guidance is provided for parents, educators, industry, and policy makers. Recommendations for policy makers include strengthening of restrictions for age verification, advertising, and features in gaming products.
Key findings include:
- An average of 36% of boys age 11 to 17 reported gambling in the past year.
- The most common place boys encounter gambling-like systems is online gaming.
- 34% of boys reporting gambling with family members.
- Whether boys gambled and how extensively they engaged was strongly linked with influence from their peers.
- 33% of boys who gambled at least monthly reported experiencing problems, compared to 19% of boys who gambled less frequently.
