Minors Gamble Online Despite Rules, Ex-Addicts Warn

Teens Risking Futures on Online Gambling Platforms

Concerns are mounting over the growing number of minors engaging in online gambling, as former underage gamblers share their harrowing experiences. Kurt Freudenberg, who started betting at just 11 years old, described the intense thrill of placing bets as an “insane dopamine rush,” comparing it to crack cocaine. His addiction quickly escalated from online casino games to thousands of dollars wagered on major sports leagues and even horse racing.

Addiction’s Grip on Young Lives

Freudenberg’s daily life became consumed by gambling. “I was only thinking about gambling and participating in gambling activities 24/7,” he stated. The addiction led him to neglect basic hygiene and spend hours indoors, ultimately causing him to flunk out of school twice and spend ten months in rehab. The 23-year-old revealed that many young adults he knew in college struggled with gambling addiction and even contemplated self-harm. “I was suicidal most times after losing money, losing going to $0,” Freudenberg admitted, though he never acted on these thoughts.

Parents Call for Stronger Protections

Kurt’s mother, Kim Freudenberg, was unaware of her son’s addiction for years. “Their brain is just been completely by gambling,” she explained, highlighting the profound impact on young minds. Now, she leads a support group called Parents Standing Together, urging for stricter safeguards to protect children. “They’re clearly not strong enough because kids are accessing it,” Kim stated, acknowledging existing measures but stressing they are insufficient.

Loopholes Allow Underage Access

Online sports betting is legal in 31 states and Washington D.C., with age requirements typically set at 18 or 21. To open an account, users must provide matching personal information like their name, address, Social Security number, and bank details. However, conversations with high school students and former gamblers reveal that minors often find ways around these rules. Saul Malek, another former gambler, explained how teens use older siblings or friends with accounts to place bets for them. “I know some kids who just will. They’ll have like an older sibling, or if they know someone, there’s one kid in the grade who knows someone and they have an account,” Malek said.

High Stakes, Devastating Debts

Malek himself experienced the severe consequences of gambling, accumulating a $25,000 debt. He recounted a frightening incident where a bookie friend showed up at his door and spoke to his father about the money owed. “He talked to my dad and just basically said, Saul owes the book, whatever it was, two grand or whatever. And, you know, when’s he going to pay it?” Malek shared. He now speaks to young adults about his past, warning them that even a small bet can become significant when it’s all the money someone has left.

Statistics Show Widespread Youth Gambling

While exact numbers are unclear, a recent survey indicated that 30% of boys aged 11 to 13 and over 40% of boys aged 14 to 17 gambled in the past year. DraftKings, a major sportsbook, reported blocking 1.4 million accounts nationally in 2025 due to unverified identities, though they did not specify how many were underage. The company stated they employ a team dedicated to finding and preventing minors from using their platform. “That’s really at the heart of it. Where responsible gaming starts. The states have legalized sports betting in many jurisdictions, and they’ve told us what the legal age to, you know, make a bet is and that those are the rules that we follow. There is no place for underage people on our app,” a DraftKings representative told NBC News.

New Methods Bypass Regulations

Experts note that even with sophisticated software used by sportsbooks to detect suspicious activity, workarounds persist. Cryptocurrency and offshore platforms offer ways to gamble with minimal digital footprints, making them attractive to those trying to avoid detection. Additionally, some minors use VPNs to make it appear as though they are in a state where the legal gambling age is lower. “There are a variety of ways to get around these regulations,” commented Sam, a reporter on the story. “Crypto, might be the easiest in the sense that it’s not regulated. Anybody can buy it. And it’s not like when you make a credit card transaction, it shows $50 to this restaurant or $100 to this website. There’s basically no digital footprint.”

A Call for Holistic Solutions

Kim Freudenberg believes fighting addiction requires a shared effort from companies, families, and states. “I think it’s a shared responsibility, right? And in our in our programing, like my son goes to Gamblers Anonymous, they take full responsibility for their actions. I take it for mine, and then the industry can take it for theirs,” she said. Kurt Freudenberg is now studying to become a sports gambling researcher, aiming to help prevent others from falling into addiction. Massachusetts has introduced a high school curriculum focused on the dangers of gambling addiction, an initiative experts believe is crucial for early intervention. “That’s the kind of thing where there are so many stakeholders in all this. Everybody has to do their part to help the kids in the end,” Sam added.

Source: Concerns grow over minors betting as former underage gamblers speak out (YouTube)