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As we draw closer to May 14, the fifth anniversary of the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), gambling legalization continues to expand. The need to protect against problem gambling, particularly underage, grows alongside it.
The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates up to 6% of kids ages 12 to 17 have a gambling problem, while up to 14% are at risk of developing an addiction.
Legislators in several states have proposed novel student education bills to address this issue in an attempt to curb problem gambling at an early age:
Virginia
Virginia is the only state that has passed a bill mandating school-level gambling education. HB 1108, which was introduced by Delegate Sam Rasoul (D-District 11), added school instruction on gambling addiction to existing curriculum on drug and alcohol abuse.
Virginia’s gambling education bill received exceptional support throughout the legislative process. The bill moved through a subcommittee on a unanimous vote, cruised through the Committee on Education by a margin of 20-2, and passed in the State’s House of Delegates with a 97-3 vote, all in a week’s time.
It did not receive a single “no” vote in the Virginia Senate. It moved through the Committee on Education and Health by a 15-0 margin on March 3, and on March 8 passed in the Senate, 39-0. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed the bill into law on April 8.
Virginia’s HB1108 specifically requires instruction concerning gambling and the addictive potential thereof to be provided by the public schools as prescribed by the Board of Education. The bill requires the Board of Education to report to the Chairs of House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health a description of such instruction.
However, the intent of Virginia’s legislation may be thwarted, at least in the short term. This is because is no specific funding for the bill, and the impact statement associated with it says, “Any cost to develop instruction concerning gambling can be absorbed by the Department of Education. Any fiscal impact to local school divisions is indeterminate.” Advocates who have struggled to find funding for problem gaming program legislation across the country suggest this may be a problem.
Experts have suggested that a better tactic would be to have educational programs “embedded” into expanded Virginia mobile gambling legislation, but that is also sometimes a stretch.
For comparison, language proposing a financial literacy program in high schools was part of the Missouri House debate, but not included in final versions of the Missouri sports betting bills that have moved over to the Senate.
New Jersey
New Jersey legislators have proposed A5308, which would require school districts to instruct high school students about the risks of compulsive gambling as part of their health curriculum.
The original primary sponsor, Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-District 28), recently resigned to join the board of an insurance company. Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-District 27) and Assemblyman Daniel R. Benson (D-District 14) have taken up the mission.
Specifically, A5308 requires “each school district that includes grades nine through 12, or any combination thereof, shall incorporate instruction on the potential risks of compulsive gambling into the curriculum for students as part of the district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.”
While another proposed New Jersey bill, A5226, would prohibit sports betting advertising at public colleges and universities in New Jersey, supporters of high school gambling education believe it that will help students understand the potential dangers included in New Jersey sports gambling before they ever step foot on a university campus.
A5308 passed out of the Assembly of Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee by unanimous vote on March 20, and is currently before the Assembly Education Committee.
Michigan
Sen. Joseph N. Bellino Jr. (R-Monroe), introduced bipartisan Michigan legislation in February to help inform teenagers about the risks associated with gambling.
“With the popularity of mobile betting apps and online sports betting now being legal in over 30 states, teenagers are having problems with gambling addiction,” Bellino said in an initial press release. “It has been reported that many young people don’t see gambling as risky and that the percentage of high school students with a gambling problem is double that of adults. My bill has bipartisan support to head off this growing problem by acting to raise awareness among our students about the real risks of gambling.”
Senate Bill 54 would require the state Department of Education to develop a grade-and-age-appropriate model program of instruction on gambling addiction by July 1, 2024. It would be available to school districts and public school academies.
“Just as our teachers currently inform students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, we need them to also educate them about the serious consequences of gambling addiction,” Bellino said.
SB54 would see high school students educated on the risks of Michigan sports gambling, similar to their education on the risk of drug and alcohol use. It was originally referred to the Senate Education Committee for consideration but has not progressed to date.
However, last fall the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) put out a Responsible Gaming campaign, asking for parents, siblings, and peers to be aware of the signs of problem gambling in teens. Those include:
- Carrying gambling materials such as dice, cards, or poker chips.
- Gambling with money that is supposed to be used for school-related purposes.
- Skipping class or other school activities to gamble.
- Borrowing, stealing, and selling items to get money to gamble.
The MGCB sought and received additional funding for responsible gaming programs. This funding allowed them to expand their resources and increase staff focused on responsible gaming. The MGCB board intends to expand its responsible gaming outreach through a public-facing program that will launch soon.
Maryland
Not all states have seen similar gambling education success. In Maryland, Senator Bryan Simonaire (R-District 31) filed a school gambling education bill in three consecutive sessions, but it has yet to pass out of committee in both branches of the legislature.
Simonaire’s 2022 bill, SB 363, was sent to committee but made any progress there. In 2021, the bill stalled in committee, and in 2020, the bill passed through the Senate with a 44-2 vote but did not advance out of committee in the House.
Simonaire believes it is an obligation to add preventative measures to Maryland mobile gaming, particularly considering the revenue it brings in. His main opposition has been the argument that mandating specific education initiatives opens the door to other mandates.
West Virginia
A bill to address educating youth on gambling addiction in West Virginia was tied to a statute that requires state educators to “provide students a basic understanding of personal finance.”
HB 4812, a bipartisan bill was sponsored by Delegate Sean Hornbuckle (D-District 25) and Delegate Larry Pack (R-District 56), called for a “personal finance literacy pilot program to be implemented in at least five public high schools” in the 2022-2023 school year, with “information concerning the nature of gambling and problem gambling” part of the curriculum. However, the bill was not addressed by the House Education Committee, and the West Virginia legislative session ended March 12.
Hornbuckle has not been deterred, however, and indicated that he intends to file the bill again next legislative session.
West Virginia mobile sports gaming was legalized in August of 2018.
