Gen Z's gambling problem

4,907 Views | 76 Replies | Last: 26 min ago by AxelFoley85
techno-ag
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1:48p, 12/23/25
AG
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/young-crypto-bros-love-to-gamble-and-youll-never-guess-where-they-get-the-money-b08d0cc5

The old ways of investing are just too boring for young men. An S&P 500 ETF doesn't provide the dopamine hit that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies do. Brokerages like Robinhood now allow sports betting on their apps. And cryptocurrency. Coinbase which used to be one of the few places to buy crypto is now adding sports bets. Polymarket lets users bet on elections and all kinds of things, where legal. Online casinos now advertise a lot.

It's becoming a big deal.

Quote:
Take online gambling: one in five crypto owners gamble daily, and 63% gamble at all. Nonowners were in a different camp. Just 7% gamble online daily, and close to 60% have never gambled online.


They're all linked by dopamine hits. Crypto, betting, risky stocks, online casinos. History suggests this won't end well. If not with society then with certain individuals who go too far.
The left cannot kill the Spirit of Charlie Kirk.
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Rapier108
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1:50p, 12/23/25
Probably 80% of the ads I see on any app, and even a good number on TV now, are all for online casinos and/or sports betting. Chumba casino outnumbers all of them by far.

And I've never gambled in my life, other than the occasional lottery ticket when the jackpot is crazy high like it is right now.
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K2-HMFIC
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2:01p, 12/23/25
This is a real thing with men under 30…I had no idea how bad it was until I started seeing multiple dudes doing prop bets in a bar watching a&m football.
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Pichael Thompson
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2:02p, 12/23/25
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Proposition Joe
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2:06p, 12/23/25
15 years ago when it still took a little work to get money offshore for an online sportsbook, we had sportsbooks paying us $10k/month to run banner ads... and most didn't care if we got them monthly metrics or not.

Think about that in the current landscape and you start to get an idea of how much money is out there being readily pissed away.
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ThunderCougarFalconBird
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In reply to Proposition Joe • 2:10p, 12/23/25
AG
Good indicator is the English premier league. Around 75% of jersey sponsors are sports gambling.
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Less Evil Hank Scorpio
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2:11p, 12/23/25
AG
We are insisting on learning what Europe learned long ago the hard way for ourselves. It's not perfect there but it's so much worse and more predatory here. Go to a bar on Northgate when a game is on and over half the conversations you hear are about various bets.
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Gator92
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2:36p, 12/23/25
AG
NFL and CFB love it.

It drives ratings to a demo long ignored...
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texagbeliever
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In reply to ThunderCougarFalconBird • 2:40p, 12/23/25
ThunderCougarFalconBird said:
Good indicator is the English premier league. Around 75% of jersey sponsors are sports gambling.

Sport betting sponsors segments on almost any sports program. Prop betting is ruining sports, among other things.
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texagbeliever
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In reply to Gator92 • 2:41p, 12/23/25
Gator92 said:
NFL and CFB love it.

It drives ratings to a demo long ignored...

Young men were long ignored?
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Ag_07
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In reply to techno-ag • 2:42p, 12/23/25
AG
Quote:
They're all linked by dopamine hits.


Yep.

Same can be said for social media and the Gen Z attachment to anything on their phone.

It all revolves around the instant gratification model this younger generation is addicted to.
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Gator92
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In reply to texagbeliever • 2:56p, 12/23/25
AG
texagbeliever said:
Gator92 said:
NFL and CFB love it.

It drives ratings to a demo long ignored...

Young men were long ignored?

Yes.

Maybe you could call it a generational thing. Esp GenZ. All major championship games are on school nights. Gen Z grew up gaming and watching youtube. Not sports. Also, team sport youth participation rates have sagged. Esp football.

Also, NFL had a huge marketing push towards women. Gen Z men have lived cancel culture and DEI from a very young age. Think "Gamer Gate".

Since men are more risk tolerant, online gambling a great way to bring them into the fold...
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CrawlingNo5
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3:06p, 12/23/25
AG
I was getting in too deep, betting on CS2, WNBA, Darts of all sports. It wasn't alot of money, couple grand over a few months, but i was really letting myself be negatively impacted because LaMelo Ball decided to run cardio instead of play basketball one night, or Paige Bueckers decided to brick up a house worth of shots. I had to delete the app for a few months.

But now, you cant escape from it. Everything in sports and sports broadcasting revolves around gambling.
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UTExan
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3:11p, 12/23/25
Check your ROI from a decently managed portfolio and you will get the dopamine hit. Use an online investment calculator and plug in conservative numbers over 30 years and get a really good dopamine hit.
“If you’re going to have crime it should at least be organized crime”
-Havelock Vetinari
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4stringAg
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3:20p, 12/23/25
AG
Clay and Buck, the show that took over Rush's timeslot advertise for online sports gambling (mainly Clay Travis that is affiliated with it as I don't think I've heard Buck shilling for it, but Clay is a sports fan so he's the one that usually does the ads)
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YouBet
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3:21p, 12/23/25
AG
Sports betting and the advertising for it is out of control. I'm thinking it will go the way of cigarette ads at some point. I'll stick to betting on blue chips.
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RK
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3:23p, 12/23/25
AG
how else am i supposed to enjoy the Delaware St/SW Alabama Poly Tech debate match?
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Jeeper79
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3:32p, 12/23/25
AG
I haven't figured how yet, but somehow this is boomers' fault.
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Burpelson
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3:50p, 12/23/25
Someone's will be left holding the bag on crypto, biggest scheme going.
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J.P. 03
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In reply to UTExan • 4:18p, 12/23/25
AG
UTExan said:
Check your ROI from a decently managed portfolio and you will get the dopamine hit. Use an online investment calculator and plug in conservative numbers over 30 years and get a really good dopamine hit.

You're 100% correct on this, but unfortunately that message is lost on a vast majority of young people. 15-20% is a good year in the market, but these kids can jump on TikTok and see influencers pushing day trading content that promises bigger returns than that EVERY DAY. It takes decades to become a millionaire with an index fund, but their social media feeds are telling them they can get there in significantly less time if they just "buy the dip" and YOLO some 0DTE options. Shockingly, they fail to disclose the potential risks. It's terrifying.
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YouBet
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In reply to Burpelson • 4:20p, 12/23/25
AG
Burpelson said:
Someone's will be left holding the bag on crypto, biggest scheme going.


Probably the people that own it.
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texagbeliever
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In reply to Gator92 • 4:21p, 12/23/25
Gator92 said:
texagbeliever said:
Gator92 said:
NFL and CFB love it.

It drives ratings to a demo long ignored...

Young men were long ignored?

Yes.

Maybe you could call it a generational thing. Esp GenZ. All major championship games are on school nights. Gen Z grew up gaming and watching youtube. Not sports. Also, team sport youth participation rates have sagged. Esp football.

Also, NFL had a huge marketing push towards women. Gen Z men have lived cancel culture and DEI from a very young age. Think "Gamer Gate".

Since men are more risk tolerant, online gambling a great way to bring them into the fold...

I guess I was thinking millennials with young men, im now old.

I do think Gen Z can watch any sport anywhere. So it isnt special. I also think sports for kids got wayyy too competitive too young. Sorry but junior doesnt need to be on a travel baseball club team at age of 12.

Long gone are the days when kids could play on their football, basketball and baseball team. Now they can pick one and if maybe make the team if they paid money to play club for 5 years before.
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techno-ag
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In reply to J.P. 03 • 4:25p, 12/23/25
AG
Yeah social media is a big problem. The article interviews some youngsters on Reddit (ones who did well last year). Their research usually involved talking to other kids online.
The left cannot kill the Spirit of Charlie Kirk.
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Kenneth_2003
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4:27p, 12/23/25
AG
We've got two young kids at work. One 20, the other 25. I've tried to bring up the company 401k to both of them a few times. Even for the bare minimum of the companies small match. Crickets... Both chat about their parleys during lunch though.

One of them asked me a couple months ago if I thought I'd make it to $1 million before I retire. I chuckled a little and said, "Yes, without a doubt. Multiple times over.".

He didn't get the dots connected.
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MelvinUdall
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In reply to Gator92 • 4:29p, 12/23/25
Gator92 said:
texagbeliever said:
Gator92 said:
NFL and CFB love it.

It drives ratings to a demo long ignored...

Young men were long ignored?

Yes.

Maybe you could call it a generational thing. Esp GenZ. All major championship games are on school nights. Gen Z grew up gaming and watching youtube. Not sports. Also, team sport youth participation rates have sagged. Esp football.

Also, NFL had a huge marketing push towards women. Gen Z men have lived cancel culture and DEI from a very young age. Think "Gamer Gate".

Since men are more risk tolerant, online gambling a great way to bring them into the fold...


This is right answer. I have 3 daughters, and two of them date guys that bet on games, mainly just college and NFL games and they actively text me asking for my opinion…I have relative success in betting, mainly I actually win more than I lose…they were betting long before me, and they don't crazy and never more than they can afford…both are in college and not in careers…they basically gamble their beer money.
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Rubicante
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4:31p, 12/23/25
AG
When they're kids they played apps that had gambling mechanics for the prizes they won, often resembling a slot machine or a similar chance mechanic.

When they were teens they played first person shooters with "loot boxes" that had a rare chance to contain items that others would pay $100s or even $1000s for.

They watch twitch and kick streamers that do 8-hour long gambling streams.

Their entire upbringing has consisted of gambling being as present in their life as anything else. I won't be surprised when Bank of America introduces a new rewards card where every 1,000 points lets you roll on a chance for cash prizes.
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sam callahan
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4:43p, 12/23/25
Quote:
I have relative success in betting, mainly I actually win more than I lose


just curious - do the college kids you help do as well?


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AxelFoley85
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4:48p, 12/23/25
Texas needs to go ahead and legalize sports betting already.
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Muktheduck
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In reply to Ag_07 • 4:52p, 12/23/25
Ag_07 said:
Quote:
They're all linked by dopamine hits.


Yep.

Same can be said for social media and the Gen Z attachment to anything on their phone.

It all revolves around the instant gratification model this younger generation is addicted to.

This isn't a Gen Z problem. There's a reason why it was illegal for so long
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Proposition Joe
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5:05p, 12/23/25
One of the major problems is with sports betting most people are playing a game they don't even understand.

Most men think they "know sports"... even ignoring that most don't "know sports" near as well as they think they do, rarely do any of them understand the numbers behind the bets they are making.

If you:

Aren't line shopping (funded at multiple books)
Aren't exercising proper money management (ie. rarely should your wagers be more than 5% of your bankroll -- meaning if you've got $1000 to play with then the majority of your wagers should be $20-$30)
Don't know the win probability/value difference of say +4 -130 and +3.5 +105

Then your chances of real success (57%+) over a large sample size is very small. You'll have plenty of people claim otherwise, but the numbers don't support it. Most of the casual "guys who are up long term" are in reality clearing maybe $500/year watching/monitoring dozens and dozens of random games they otherwise wouldn't care about. An absolute negative ROI of life.

After being in the industry for a decade+ I've become pretty vocal against how widespread it was getting (ease of access was the worst thing that ever happened), but seeing how much it is impacting young men now it's an absolute blight.
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fasthorse05
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In reply to ThunderCougarFalconBird • 5:06p, 12/23/25
That's okay.

When Islam overruns the UK, only the imam's will make betsin the name of Allah, of course!!!
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annie88
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In reply to techno-ag • 5:06p, 12/23/25
AG
Why don't they just steal money like the Democrats do.
“Some people bring joy wherever they go, and some people bring joy whenever they go.” ~ Mark Twain
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techno-ag
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In reply to annie88 • 5:09p, 12/23/25
AG
annie88 said:
Why don't they just steal money like the Democrats do.

The House always wins, Annie.
The left cannot kill the Spirit of Charlie Kirk.
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techno-ag
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In reply to Proposition Joe • 5:10p, 12/23/25
AG
Proposition Joe said:
One of the major problems is with sports betting most people are playing a game they don't even understand.

Most men think they "know sports"... even ignoring that most don't "know sports" near as well as they think they do, rarely do any of them understand the numbers behind the bets they are making.

If you:

Aren't line shopping (funded at multiple books)
Aren't exercising proper money management (ie. rarely should your wagers be more than 5% of your bankroll -- meaning if you've got $1000 to play with then the majority of your wagers should be $20-$30)
Don't know the win probability/value difference of say +4 -130 and +3.5 +105

Then your chances of real success (57%+) over a large sample size is very small. You'll have plenty of people claim otherwise, but the numbers don't support it. Most of the casual "guys who are up long term" are in reality clearing maybe $500/year watching/monitoring dozens and dozens of random games they otherwise wouldn't care about. An absolute negative ROI of life.

After being in the industry for a decade+ I've become pretty vocal against how widespread it was getting (ease of access was the worst thing that ever happened), but seeing how much it is impacting young men now it's an absolute blight.

Well said, sir or madam.
The left cannot kill the Spirit of Charlie Kirk.
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Luigi Vampa
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5:34p, 12/23/25
AG
I've been addicted to sports betting to a point where it had very serious and real consequences in my personal life. Ive been free of the curse for nearly 11 years now, but it took my to some very very dark places. Online sports betting is one of the worst things out there for society and it makes me sick seeing "reputable" companies like ESPN jumping in to the money grab head first fully aware of the negative consequences it has on society.
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