Gambling is an issue that has plagued society for centuries. From horse betting to casinos, its addictive nature has caused many to fall into ruin, losing everything they have in hopes of winning big. However, in recent times, the variation that has run rampant is online gambling.
Underage kids are often exposed to gambling which in turn makes it more likely that they participate in underage gambling. Content creators all over the world are promoting gambling to their young audiences, and video games are disguising gambling with game items, finding loopholes to make a quick buck.
It has become clear that online gambling is too accessible for underage kids, a problem that is not taken seriously or discussed enough.
One video game with a widespread gambling problem is Counter-Strike. Counter-Strike cases contain skins which change the appearance of various items used within the game. Players are able to obtain these cases for free but must buy keys to open them using real money.
The skin you get within each case is entirely dependent on chance, with the chance of winning rare skins being incredibly low. These skins can be traded between players, with many offering a substantial chunk of real money to buy rare skins off of others. Because of this, opening these cases is essentially gambling.
Although the age rating for Counter-Strike is 17+, there is no verification in place to ensure that the players are of age. Because of this, many underage players continue playing the game unchecked.
According to a survey by Counter-Strike youtuber HOUNGOUNGHAGNE, over 70% of people who have gambled using Counter-Strike skins first started when they were under 18.
However, video games aren’t the only way kids are exposed to gambling. In a 2025 study by Common Sense Media, researchers found that 45% of adolescent boys who gamble report viewing gambling videos or streams online.
Many influencers with large adolescent followings take sponsors from online casinos such as Stake and Rainbet. Some run sponsored gambling streams, often using money lended to them by the casino. Anyone, including kids, has access to these streams through all the popular streaming sites, such as Twitch and Youtube.
Others advertise online casinos in other forms of content, such as short-form videos. Many kids are constantly on their phones scrolling through these short-form videos and being exposed to online gambling.
Although these online casinos are illegal in California, many still have access to them using VPNs which allow users to change their device’s location.
Children aren’t gambling by pure chance. Whether it be playing video games or watching videos, it’s clear that kids are frequently exposed to predatory media encouraging the behavior of online gambling. Awareness should be spread about this issue, and stronger laws should be put in place to protect kids from exposure to this addictive lifestyle.
