US sports betting growth revives concerns over underage gambling
The rapid expansion of legal sports betting across the United States has generated record revenues for operators and billions of dollars in tax income for state governments. However, evidence from reported incidents indicates that this growth has also brought increased attention to a persistent and largely unresolved issue: underage gambling.
According to a new investigation by USA Today, hundreds of suspected reports were submitted by licenced sportsbooks to state regulators. Most of the documents show that minors, including teenagers and, in some cases, much younger children, are regularly accessing legal betting platforms despite strict age restrictions.
According to the reports reviewed, underage gambling tends to follow several clear patterns. The most common involves minors using sportsbook accounts registered in the name of a parent or close relative, often without the adult’s knowledge.
The categories of exposure
Other cases show underage users creating accounts using stolen personal information, including details belonging to deceased individuals. In rarer instances, parents reported young children placing bets on devices that were already logged into a betting account.
All in all, underage access to sports betting typically falls into three categories:
- Account sharing: Minors place bets using sportsbook accounts belonging to parents or relatives, sometimes without the adults’ awareness. This remains the most frequent route.
- Identity abuse: Underage users register accounts with stolen or false personal details, including identities linked to deceased individuals.
- Unintended access: In rare cases, young children are able to place bets on devices that were already logged into active betting accounts.
When such activity is detected, sportsbooks typically respond by shutting down the account and notifying regulators. However, the reports rarely lead to criminal investigations or long-term consequences for either the minor or the adult account holder. Regulators acknowledge that enforcement is limited, and most cases end with account bans rather than legal action.
State points to an upward trend
However, evaluating the true scale of underage gambling remains difficult. In Tennessee, sportsbooks reported 105 cases of underage account usage in 2024. That number more than quadrupled the following year. Iowa forwarded dozens of similar cases to its Division of Criminal Investigation, though it is unclear whether any resulted in formal charges.
Massachusetts provides one of the clearest pictures. DraftKings also blocked more than 4,800 attempted underage registrations in a single year, while FanDuel suspended hundreds of accounts linked to minors. Regulators there have admitted that these figures likely represent only a fraction of total attempts.
The issue has emerged alongside explosive industry growth. Since the US Supreme Court cleared the way for state-by-state legalisation in 2018, legal sports betting has spread rapidly. Americans wagered an estimated $160 billion on sports in 2025, generating roughly $16 billion in revenue.
Is advertising a problem?
Young men aged 21 to 34 are the most valuable demographic for sportsbooks, accounting for more than half of wagers on many platforms. Critics argue that marketing aimed at this group often reaches younger audiences, blurring the line between sports fandom and gambling.
A national NCAA survey in the US reported that 58 percent of 18–22 year olds have placed a sports bet despite age restrictions, and 56 recall seeing ads encouraging them to bet, showing advertising’s strong presence and potential influence. Whereas, the investigations by other sports broadcasts also indicate that sports betting ads and logos appear very frequently during major US sporting events, raising concerns that young viewers are repeatedly exposed to betting marketing.
However, sportsbook operators insist they are complying with regulations, pointing to age-verification systems, identity checks and monitoring tools designed to flag suspicious behaviour. But the local and federal lawmakers are beginning to push for stronger safeguards, including tougher verification rules and better tools for parents.
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