Massachusetts has rolled out a classroom curriculum on problem gambling for young people as concern grows about exposure to sports betting and online gambling. The lessons are aimed at students aged 12 to 20 and cover the legal wagering age, the risks of online betting, financial literacy, advertising tactics used by gaming companies and warning signs of addiction.
The effort traces back to a public-private partnership launched by Attorney General Andrea Campbell in 2024. The founding members include the Attorney General’s Office, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health, Civic Action Project, the NCAA and Boston’s major pro teams, and the coalition is meant to work with sports media and licensed gaming operators to communicate gambling risks.
According to the attorney general’s office, the curriculum is the first of its kind in the country. Its rollout is being handled in two phases, with the first focused on development and reaching about 400 middle and high school students.
Phase two begins at the start of the next school year and will expand the program statewide to more than 2,200 students. That wider launch comes as Massachusetts continues to bar anyone under 21 from wagering on sports or casino games.
The push also reflects how betting has changed. Online sports betting, which can be accessed by mobile phone or computer, has made gambling easier to reach and sharpened concern about underage users.
Early feedback from the pilot showed changes in attitudes. The Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health said 69% of students who completed the program were more likely to wait until they are of legal age before gambling, while 78% said they would recommend it to other students their age.
The same group said the share of students who saw gambling as an easy way to make money fell from 53% to 44% after the curriculum. It also said teenagers who gamble are more likely than their non-gambling peers to be dependent on alcohol or illegal substances and to experience depression.
The wider concern is not limited to Massachusetts. A 2023 NCAA survey cited by state officials found that 58% of people aged 18 to 22 had taken part in at least one sports betting activity, about 63% recalled seeing or hearing advertising that encouraged sports betting and 58% of those exposed said they were more likely to bet after seeing the ads.
Massachusetts’ public health materials say starting conversations with young people can help prevent gambling problems later in life. The state also says children introduced to seemingly harmless betting by age 12 are four times more likely to have gambling problems later on.
Separately, the Department of Public Health’s Office of Problem Gambling Services says its prevention work has taken a comprehensive and strategic community approach since 2016. It says its public awareness campaigns, centred on “Let’s Get Real About Gambling,” have generated more than 360 million impressions.
