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Council on Problem Gambling warns Senate committee that youth gambling is rising and urges prevention
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Summary
Michelle Hatton, head of the New York Council on Problem Gambling, told the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee that 18‑ to 24‑year‑olds are increasingly gambling and experiencing harms, and urged expanded prevention, parent education and school‑based programs.
Michelle Hatton, head of the New York Council on Problem Gambling, told the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee on March 17 that new research is showing a rise in gambling and related harms among people in the roughly 18‑to‑24 age range.
"What we're seeing is that kids are involved in the activity ... without really a lot of knowledge prior about what the risks are," Hatton said, urging the committee to prioritize prevention, parent education and school programs so young people learn the odds and risks before they start gambling.
Hatton told the committee advocates are focusing on what she described as "pre‑gambling intervention" — outreach designed to prevent the onset of problematic gambling — and called for more community‑based services modeled on existing substance‑use and tobacco prevention efforts.
Senator Joe Odabo, chair of the committee, thanked Hatton and said the governor had signaled support for protecting minors from mobile sports betting. Odabo said he would work with the governor's office on that issue and noted a recent district event where advocates spoke to high school students about gambling risks.
The testimony was short and focused; Hatton emphasized that prevention efforts lag behind those for substances and tobacco and asked the committee to consider funding and programmatic supports that reach families, schools and community organizations. No formal policy decision was made at the hearing; the committee proceeded to advance several bills on its agenda.
