Posted on: March 28, 2026, 03:53h.
Last updated on: March 27, 2026, 04:54h.
- Should the dangers of gambling be taught in high schools?
- A responsible gaming advocate for DraftKings thinks it would be smart to inform younger people about gambling
DraftKings and its primary competitors, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and Fanatics, have been blamed for increasing problem gambling rates in the United States. A responsible gaming advocate with the iGaming and online sportsbook platform said schools should be instructing students about the risks of gambling addictions.
Lori Kalani, the chief responsible gaming officer at DraftKings, spoke with The Hill’s Elizabeth Prann for an episode of “Raising America.” Kalani suggested that high schools implement responsible gaming classes into their curriculum.
Times change. When I was in high school, and I’m old, they weren’t talking about social media and privacy. I think people are waking up and saying we should be talking to the younger generation about gambling,” Kalani said.
“Gambling is everywhere. Kids can play real money games even with video games. The more people are educated that this is fun, but moderation is the smart way to do it and stay safe, is important,” Kalani continued.
March Is Responsible Gaming Month
March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month, an annual campaign put on by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). The only national nonprofit dedicated to minimizing gambling harms, the organization, headquartered in Washington, DC, says gambling problems are on the rise.
A study conducted by UC San Diego in February 2025 concurred. The school’s researchers found that internet searches for gambling help surged 23% between 2018 and 2024.
It was May 2018 when the US Supreme Court overturned a federal law that had limited single-game sports betting to Nevada. The landmark decision opened up the floodgates to sports gambling and helped mainstream the gaming industry as a whole.
“Parallel with the growth in sportsbooks, internet searches for help with gambling addiction, such as ‘am I addicted to gambling,’ have cumulatively increased 23% nationally since Murphy v. NCAA through June 2024. This corresponds with approximately 6.5 to 7.3 million searches for gambling addiction help-seeking nationally, with 180,000 monthly searches at its peak,” the study reported.
Internet help searches were significantly higher in states where online sports betting is allowed, including in Ohio (67%), Pennsylvania (50%), Massachusetts (47%), and Michigan (37%).
Sports Betting Losses
In the US, sports bettors lost almost $17 billion to legal sportsbooks in 2025. The $16.96 billion in sports betting revenue represented a 23% year-over-year gain and an all-time best annual mark for the industry.
New York is the largest sports betting market, with oddsmakers there taking $26 billion in bets and keeping $2.5 billion of the money. In New York, DraftKings facilitated $8.6 billion in online bets during the 2024-25 fiscal year that ended in March 2025. The platform generated gross wagering revenue of $727.9 million.
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