Rutgers national study: 52.5% of Americans aged 13 to 27 gambled in the past year, including 42.7% of teens

A Rutgers Center for Gambling Studies survey of 1,677 Americans aged 13 to 27 found that 52.5% gambled in the past year, including 42.7% of 13- to 17-year-olds. Among those who gambled, 10.3% screened as high-risk problem gamblers, as did about 40% of prediction-market participants.

By Andrea Rivera28 Oct 2026Updated: 28 Oct 2026

3 Min Read

The Rutgers School of Social Work building on Albany Street in New Brunswick, New Jersey — Photo: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Overview

The Rutgers University Center for Gambling Studies published "Adolescent and Young Adult Gambling in the United States" on October 28, 2026. The national survey of 1,677 people aged 13 to 27 found that 52.5% had gambled in the past year, including 42.7% of those aged 13 to 17.
Among respondents who gambled, 39.5% showed some level of problem gambling risk and 10.3% were classified as high-risk problem gamblers. Across the full sample, 5.4% were classified as high risk.
About 40% of prediction-market participants (39.8%) and 41.1% of social casino players were classified as high-risk problem gamblers, according to the report.

Youth gambling rates by age and sex

The study, led by center director Lia Nower and assistant director Jackie Stanmyre, surveyed a nationally representative, probability-based sample drawn from NORC's AmeriSpeak panel between April 24 and July 4, 2026. It covered 21 activities, from bingo, raffles and scratch-off tickets to sports betting, cryptocurrency trading, esports betting and prediction markets. Rutgers said it is the first national prevalence study of US adolescents and young adults in nearly 20 years.

Past-year participation rose with age, from 42.7% among 13- to 17-year-olds to 56.6% among 18- to 20-year-olds and 57.2% among 21- to 27-year-olds. Among adolescents who gambled, 10.8% screened as high risk, compared with 7.2% of gamblers aged 18 to 20 and 11.3% of those aged 21 to 27. High-risk rates were similar for female (10.7%) and male (9.9%) gamblers.

Problem gambling statistics by activity, income and family exposure

Scratch-off tickets were the most common activity among gamblers (45.8%), followed by bingo and lottery tickets (37.2% each). Sports betting was reported by 20.7% of gamblers and prediction markets by 6.6%. Prediction markets had the highest share of weekly participation of any activity, at 31.7% of participants.

Among gamblers from households earning under $10,000 a year, 29.8% were classified as high risk, compared with 2.3% in households earning $75,000 to under $100,000. Among high-risk adolescent gamblers, 75.5% had a family member who gambled and 61.2% had gambled with a family member.

Policy recommendations

An accompanying policy brief for federal and state legislators recommends gambling education starting in middle school, a federal gambling regulatory body to set minimum standards across states, a legal definition of gambling that covers emerging products, and routine gambling screening in schools and primary care. The research was funded by a Center of Excellence grant from the International Center for Responsible Gaming.

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Andrea Rivera

Andrea Rivera explores the evolving world of iGaming through the companies trying new things and the markets taking shape around them. An editor at AskSpinner News, Andrea combines research with storytelling, bringing information and perspective to industry analysis without losing the story that makes it worth reading.