Despite its risks, sports betting is popular among high schoolers. Senior Sean Scudder shared his experience gambling, while Mr. Milner shared his concerns about sports betting and its potential dangers.
“I would say I’ve lost like $30. I gained like $70, but then I lost it all after redistributing it,” Scudder said. He started betting after seeing his friends win money. “My friends inspired me to start gambling. They started winning money, I got a referral code and 20 free dollars, that was sweet. I wouldn’t say I was peer-pressured, but I’m a product of my environment.” said Scudder.
Scudder started with parlays but switched to daily fantasy after losing too much.
“I just look at what looks good, and then I parlay. Then I quit parlays because I kept losing money. I started playing daily fantasy because I had ball knowledge in fantasy, and I won like $70, then I lost it all in one weekend,” he said.
One of the hardest parts, Scudder retold, was the emotional rollercoaster of wins and losses.
“I think I won $40 one weekend, and I felt pretty good, but I was like, ‘There’s more to win. I gotta put more up.’ The very next weekend, I lost all my money. You feel good, and then I don’t really have $40, I didn’t earn this. I only really put up $20. I might as well roll it and get more.”
Scudder believes that sports gambling can be an addiction.
“Yes, but not for me, because I know when to stop, and I don’t put more money in.” He didn’t hesitate to call it gambling. “Yes, because you’re putting money up, and you can win more, but you’re not really supposed to.”
Milner believes that high schoolers gambling is a serious issue.
“I think that they’re breaking the law. I think there should be stronger regulations on the companies that are facilitating these bets to prove and verify that the people placing bets, and putting money into the account is someone who is actually old enough to make that decision”
Though he hasn’t witnessed it firsthand in his classroom, Milner has heard students talk about gambling.
“I’ve heard kids talk about it, I can’t say I’ve seen someone do it in class. I’ve had kids ask me what they thought about a bet that they were considering or claimed to have made”
He also sees the risk of addiction in betting.
“There’s a reason every gambling ad includes a phone number or website for help. It’s another reason teenagers shouldn’t be doing it.” said Milner.
