A Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) poll reveals that 10% of young men between the ages of 18 and 30 suffer from problem gambling, compared to just 3% of the overall population. The survey also shows that such problems are closely related to online betting on sports and online slot machines.

“Gambling is generally marketed as entertainment, and for most gamblers it’s just that,” said Dan Cassino, a professor of Government and Politics at Fairleigh Dickinson, and the Executive Director of the poll.

“But there’s always some chance of gambling turning into problem behaviors. … Online gambling is proving to be much more dangerous than other kinds.”

FDU poll shows that 57% of American voters engaged in gambling or betting behavior in the past year

Furthermore, 57% of American voters say that they’ve participated in gambling or betting behavior in the past year. Approximately 17% took part in just one form. Lottery tickets (43%) edged out scratch-off tickets (36%) as the most common forms of gambling in the U.S.

About 18% say that they’ve played casino games or slot machines in person, and 10% say that they’ve bet on sports or races online in the past year. Among both men and women, lottery tickets and scratch-offs are the most common form of betting.

However, online sports betting is much more popular among men (15%) than women (6%). Online betting on sports is concentrated among young men. Only 10% of voters say that they’ve bet on sports or racing online in the last year, but that figure is 26% for men under the age of 45.

Online sports wagering is also relatively popular among young women. About 19% of women 30 and under admitted to betting on a game or a race in the past year.

“The fact that online gambling has been normalized and gotten so common doesn’t mean that It’s safe,” Cassino added. “Online sports betting and slots are creating a generation of problem gamblers.”

Individuals with a college degree are less likely to gamble at all

According to FDU, people with a college degree are much less likely to gamble at all. Only 47% of registered voters with a college degree have gambled in any way in the past year. On the other hand, 66% of those without a four-year degree have placed at least one wager.

“Sports betting has been marketed heavily to the young men who are the biggest consumers of sports,” said Cassino. “When every league is partnered with a betting site, people who like sports are going to start gambling on it.”

The survey also asked respondents to answer the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), a nine-question battery that asks about a number of indications of problem gambling behaviors. This includes borrowing money to gamble or saying that their gambling has caused financial or emotional problems.

Most voters who say that they gamble don’t report any behaviors that are signs of a gambling addiction. Though, 21% of all voters report at least one problem behavior, and 15% of those who report gambling say that they have one problem behavior. Plus, 20% of gamblers reported two or more.

Additionally, 24% of men reported at least one problem behavior, but that figure is 45% for men 30 and under, and 38% of men 31 to 44. Only about 5% of men 45 and above report any such behaviors. Women are less likely to report problem behaviors, at just 18% overall.

One-third of women 30 and under have at least one problem behavior, according to the poll

Nonetheless, one-third of women 30 and under (33%) have at least one problem behavior. Problem behaviors are also concentrated among Americans without a college degree (25% with one or more).

Online gambling is much more linked to problem behaviors: 68% of voters who say that they bet on sports online report at least one problem gambling behavior. A majority (53%) have two or more. To add to that, 81% of voters who play online slots have at least one problem behavior, with two-thirds having two or more.

Philip Newall, a lecturer at the University of Bristol and a member of the board that advises the U.K. Gambling Commission said, “These results show the severe harms that are caused when a population is exposed to modern gambling products that put a casino inside people’s mobile phones.”

The FDU poll was conducted between August 17 and August 20, 2024, using a voter list of registered voters nationwide. This was also carried out by Braun Research of Princeton, New Jersey.

Respondents were contacted via either live-caller telephone interviews, or text-to-web surveys sent to cellular phones. It resulted in an overall sample of 801 registered voters nationally.