Underage Access to Sports Betting: What Platforms Are (and Aren't) Doing

Medically reviewed by licensed healthcare professionals · Legally reviewed by mass tort litigation specialists · Last updated: March 2026

Sports betting is legal for adults 21 and over in most states (18+ in some). Despite these requirements, surveys consistently find that significant percentages of high school and college students are actively betting on sports betting apps — and that the platforms' age verification measures are inadequate.

The Scale of the Problem

A 2024 survey by the National Council on Problem Gambling found that 13% of high school students in states with legal sports betting reported having bet on sports using a mobile app in the past year. Among college students, the number was significantly higher — 26% in one peer-reviewed 2023 survey.

These rates reflect both access through other people's accounts and direct registration using false age information. Current age verification practices — typically requiring only a birthdate entry during registration — are inadequate to prevent a motivated minor from accessing these platforms.

The Adolescent Brain and Gambling Addiction

The prefrontal cortex — the brain region governing impulse control, risk assessment, and long-term decision-making — does not fully mature until the mid-20s. This biological reality has two consequences: adolescents are less capable of making rational risk assessments about gambling losses, and adolescent brains are more susceptible to addictive rewiring from dopaminergic stimulation.

Research on adolescent gambling consistently finds that onset of gambling in adolescence or young adulthood is associated with significantly higher rates of problem gambling in adulthood, compared to onset in middle age. The sports betting industry is effectively creating its most problem-prone customers during their most neurologically vulnerable years.

Platform Marketing to Young Adults

While sports betting advertising is technically restricted to adults, the channels and formats used — sports broadcasts, social media influencers, sports podcasts popular with college students — effectively reach large audiences of people under 21. FanDuel and DraftKings have both faced scrutiny for advertising partnerships with college sports media brands with primarily 18-22-year-old audiences.

The platforms' use of free bet promotions and deposit bonuses is particularly effective at attracting younger users whose unfamiliarity with sports betting economics makes the offer appear more attractive than the underlying expected value would justify for a more experienced bettor.

What Better Verification Would Require

Effective age verification for gambling platforms exists and is used in other jurisdictions. UK-licensed operators are required to verify age against third-party credit bureau and government identity databases — not simply rely on a self-reported birthdate. The difference in underage access rates between UK and U.S. platforms reflects this regulatory gap.

U.S. state regulations have largely permitted lighter-touch verification, and platforms have not voluntarily implemented stronger verification that would reduce their accessible customer pool.