KEY TAKEAWAYS
Most American parents worry that their children will gamble before reaching the legal age, yet only about half of those with school-age children say they have talked to them about it. That is the central finding of a national survey The Harris Poll conducted for the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), which the group released on October 21, 2026.
NCPG said 64% of parents who have a child younger than 18 worry about that child gambling before reaching legal age, and 51% of parents of children aged 6 to 17 have had what the group calls “the gambling talk.” The activities named in the question were sports betting, prediction markets, lotteries and fantasy sports apps, and the poll was fielded from October 6 to 8, 2026.
What the NCPG and Harris Poll Survey Found
The survey asked parents two core questions: how worried they are, and whether they have acted on that worry. On concern, 64% of parents of children under 18 said they are very or somewhat concerned, according to the poll tables NCPG published. That breaks down into 32% who are very concerned and 32% who are somewhat concerned, while 24% are not very concerned and 12% are not at all concerned.
On action, NCPG reported that 51% of parents of children aged 6 to 17 have already talked with their children about the risks of gambling. Another 40% said they have not yet but plan to, and 9% said they do not plan to. The group frames the conversation as one that belongs next to the familiar parental talks on substance use, sex and internet safety.
NCPG Board President Derek Longmeier said parents’ concern “makes sense as sports betting and prediction markets become more accessible and visible.”
The release also points to brain-development research. Citing the National Institute of Mental Health, NCPG notes that the prefrontal cortex, which handles planning and decision-making, keeps developing until the mid-to-late 20s. NCPG presents this alongside its argument that young people are more vulnerable to developing gambling problems.
The Survey Results by the Numbers
NCPG’s release summarizes the headline numbers, and the full data tables it published add the exact splits. The table below collects the results for the questions about concern, conversations and resources. Every figure comes from NCPG’s release or its tables, and each row names the group of respondents it describes, because the questions went to different bases.
| Question | Result | Respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Concerned about gambling before legal age | 64% very or somewhat concerned (32% very, 32% somewhat) | Parents of children under 18 (583) |
| Not concerned | 36% not very or not at all concerned (24% not very, 12% not at all) | Parents of children under 18 (583) |
| Have talked about gambling risks | 51% yes; 40% not yet but plan to; 9% no and no plan | Parents of children 6 to 17 (466) |
| Concern by parent gender | 74% of fathers; 55% of mothers | Parents of children under 18 |
| Have had the talk, by parent gender | 61% of fathers; 42% of mothers | Parents of children 6 to 17 |
| Named at least one helpful resource | 90%; 10% chose none | Parents of children under 18 (583) |
The resource question let parents pick as many options as they wanted. Signs of problem gambling topped the list at 50%, with the release giving chasing losses, hiding the behavior and damaged relationships as examples. Information about the risks of youth gambling followed at 49%, then advice on timing for starting the conversation at 44%, sample wording for talking with children at 39%, and information on where to find help at 34%.
The tables also show differences by group. Concern ran higher among parents aged 18 to 34 (74%) than among those aged 35 to 44 (61%), and higher among college graduates (78%) than among parents with some college (49%) or a high-school education or less (53%). Several of the smaller subgroups are flagged in the tables as small bases, so those splits are best read as rough indications rather than precise measurements.
Why NCPG Commissioned the Poll
NCPG is based in Washington, D.C., and it operates the National Problem Gambling Helpline. The survey was commissioned by NCPG itself, and the group released it ahead of two annual education campaigns.
The first, Gift Responsibly, raises awareness of the risks of giving children lottery products. The second, Too Young to Bet, was introduced in 2025 and widens the message to all forms of gambling that children may meet. NCPG says a record number of organizations joined in 2025, among them over 230 lotteries, operators and community partners. The campaigns run through November and December.
NCPG’s 2025 Too Young to Bet toolkit gives a sense of the framing it uses with families. Its shareable social-media text says that more than one in six adolescents have gambled in the last year despite age restrictions, and that one in six parents admit they probably would not know if their child were betting online. The toolkit does not identify the studies behind those figures.
Why It Matters for Families and the Industry
Parents are being asked to manage a changing set of products. The poll’s concern question grouped sports betting, prediction markets, lotteries and fantasy sports apps together, which reflects how many forms of gambling-like activity now sit within a child’s reach. GamingNewsNow has also covered High Roller’s launch of ROLR prediction markets in the United States.
The legal age is part of the discussion. The American Gaming Association (AGA), which publishes responsible gaming standards for its members, says on its responsible play page that prediction market platforms allow anyone over 18 to place a sports wager, even where the minimum age for sports betting is 21 or higher. That is the association’s own characterization. The poll tested public opinion on the age question directly, as the next sections describe.
Industry codes already address advertising to younger audiences. The AGA’s 2026 Responsible Gaming Code of Conduct says no advertisement should be designed to appeal primarily to people below 21, and it limits placement to channels where audience data suggest 73.6 percent or more of viewers are 21 or older. The code is an industry document rather than a statute, so it does not by itself settle the questions parents raise in the NCPG poll.
What the Poll Does and Does Not Show
The poll has limits. It measures what parents say, not what children do: the figures show concern and self-reported conversations, not how many minors actually gamble or how they access it.
The sampling statement also needs reading with care. NCPG gives the study’s margin as plus or minus 2.7 points at 95% confidence, for a survey of 2,020 adults. The 583 parents of children under 18 are a subset, and the release does not give a separate margin for them. Smaller subgroups such as fathers, mothers or parents in a single age band carry wider uncertainty, and NCPG’s tables mark some of them as small bases.
The figure for the talk should not be read as a failure rate. Four in ten parents said they plan to have the conversation, so the 51% describes a moment in time. The poll does not say what the conversations contained, how long ago they took place, or whether they covered the products named in the concern question.
Prediction Markets and the Legal Age in the Data Tables
The press release covers three of the survey’s questions, while the data tables NCPG posted show more. One asked all 2,020 adults what prediction markets are most similar to, after describing them as markets where people buy and sell contracts on what they expect to happen. Another asked whether they support raising the legal gambling age to 21 nationally.
| Question (all adults surveyed) | Result |
|---|---|
| Prediction markets are most similar to… | Gambling 38%; financial forecasting 17%; investing 15%; public opinion polling 10%; something else 3%; not sure 16% |
| Raise the legal gambling age to 21 nationally | 64% support (41% strongly, 23% somewhat); 24% neither; 12% oppose |
Adults were more likely to call prediction markets gambling than anything else, though 38% is not a majority and 16% were not sure. The question included a short description of prediction markets, and different wording could produce different results.
On age, support for a national minimum age of 21 reached 64%, with opposition at 12%. Support was 62% among adults aged 18 to 34, 55% among those 35 to 44 and 73% among those 65 and older, according to the tables. The question asked about a national standard, not a specific bill.
What Comes Next
NCPG’s next steps are its holiday campaigns. Gift Responsibly and Too Young to Bet run through November and December 2026, and the group says it is expanding the information and tools available to families.
For readers affected by gambling, or those close to someone who is, NCPG operates the National Problem Gambling Helpline, which is reached by calling or texting 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738). Related GamingNewsNow coverage includes the report on how the NBA restricted prop bets and added AI betting monitoring on October 16, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- National Council on Problem Gambling — “The Gambling Talk”: Many Parents Worry Their Kids Will Gamble Before Legal Age (October 21, 2026)
- National Council on Problem Gambling — October 2026 Harris Poll Tabs Data (October 9, 2026)
- National Council on Problem Gambling — 2025 Too Young to Bet Toolkit
- National Council on Problem Gambling — Helpline Home
- American Gaming Association — Responsible Play
- American Gaming Association — Responsible Gaming Code of Conduct (2026)
