DraftKings CEO Warns Parents About Kids And Gambling Addiction

DraftKings CEO Warns About Youth Gambling

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins is urging parents to have honest conversations with their children about gambling as concerns grow over sports betting, online gambling addiction and the accessibility of betting platforms.

In an interview on October 28, 2026, Robins discussed the importance of educating children about gambling, the company’s responsible gaming measures and the growing risks associated with online sports betting. Robins, who co-founded DraftKings, said gambling addiction is an issue every family should discuss, even if parents have no personal connection to the betting industry.

DraftKings CEO Says Parents Should Talk About Gambling

Robins explained that his children have grown up around the sports betting industry and are already familiar with terminology such as point spreads and money lines. He said he has explained how the business works to his children but emphasized that they will have to wait until they are 21 to participate in sports betting.

Robins believes parents should approach conversations about gambling openly rather than treating the subject as something children should never ask about. He compared these conversations to explaining alcohol consumption when children see adults drinking wine.

“Every parent, even if you don’t have a business or don’t live in a world where the kids grow up around it, I think it’s something every parent should have conversations with their kids about,” Robins said. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining an environment where children feel comfortable asking questions.

“The important thing is just to have a transparent relationship with your kids, where they feel like they can ask you anything,” he said. His comments highlight the growing challenge parents face as sports betting becomes more visible through professional sports, advertising, mobile applications and online entertainment.

Research Raises Concerns About Gambling Addiction

Robins’ warning comes amid growing attention to the relationship between legalized sports betting and gambling-related problems. An analysis of patient health records found that diagnosed gambling disorder rates increased approximately 61% in states where sports betting was legal between 2018 and 2026. In states without legalized sports betting, diagnoses declined approximately 30% during the same period.

The analysis also identified men between the ages of 18 and 29 as having particularly high rates of gambling disorder. These findings reflect diagnosed cases rather than everyone experiencing harmful gambling behavior. Changes in screening, awareness and access to treatment can also affect diagnosis rates.

The National Council on Problem Gambling has separately reported that approximately 20 million American adults experienced at least one indicator of problematic gambling behavior frequently during the previous year.

Nearly Half Of Teenagers Report Gambling

A national study released October 28, 2026, by the Rutgers University Center for Gambling Studies adds another dimension to concerns surrounding youth gambling. Researchers surveyed 1,677 Americans between the ages of 13 and 27 and found that 42.7% of teenagers ages 13 to 17 reported participating in at least one gambling activity during the previous year.

The research examined 21 different activities, including sports betting, bingo, raffles, games of skill, cryptocurrency trading, esports betting and prediction markets. Among teenagers who reported gambling, approximately 11% screened as high risk for gambling-related problems. Across all surveyed participants who gambled, 10.3% were classified as high risk.

The researchers also found a relationship between family gambling behavior and youth gambling risks. Among teenagers classified as high risk, 75.5% had a family member who gambled, while 61.2% had gambled alongside a family member. The findings suggest that exposure to gambling within the household may be an important factor in understanding how young people develop gambling behaviors.

Importantly, the study examined more than traditional sports betting. Its findings included activities that young people may encounter through video games, online platforms and other forms of digital entertainment.

DraftKings Offers Responsible Gambling Tools

During his interview, Robins discussed the measures DraftKings has introduced to address problem gambling. The company offers responsible gaming features that allow customers to establish account limits and voluntarily exclude themselves from its betting platforms. Self-exclusion allows individuals to restrict their access to gambling services for a specified period or longer, depending on the program’s rules.

Robins also discussed efforts by the Responsible Online Gaming Association, an industry group that includes major online gambling operators, to develop a nationwide self-exclusion system. The goal is to make it more difficult for individuals who voluntarily exclude themselves from one participating gambling platform to continue betting through another.

Robins acknowledged that privacy regulations and other legal requirements create challenges for establishing a nationwide system. He also expressed openness to requiring customers to establish gambling limits before placing bets, although he described the proposal as a complicated policy question. He compared setting gambling limits to wearing a seat belt, arguing that establishing boundaries should become a routine part of responsible betting.

Growing Questions About Sports Betting And Consumer Protection

The discussion surrounding gambling addiction comes as sports betting companies face increasing scrutiny over their business practices and protections for vulnerable customers. Regulators have increasingly focused on how betting platforms identify potentially risky gambling behavior, market promotions and respond when customers demonstrate signs of compulsive gambling.

These developments highlight a broader debate over how much responsibility gambling companies should have for identifying and preventing harmful betting behavior.

What Parents Can Do To Prevent Underage Gambling

Parents can help reduce gambling risks by explaining that sports betting is not a reliable way to make money, discussing how gambling advertisements and promotions work, and establishing clear boundaries around gambling-related apps and websites. It is also important to recognize that gambling does not always involve placing traditional sports bets. Video games, social casino games, fantasy sports and prediction markets can introduce young people to gambling-like activities.

Prevention education should begin before children reach adulthood. Parents, teachers and health professionals can help young people understand the financial, emotional and behavioral consequences of gambling. Families concerned about gambling addiction can contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET for assistance.

The Bigger Picture

Robins’ comments reflect an increasingly important conversation about the relationship between sports, technology, gambling and young audiences. Although DraftKings provides tools intended to help customers manage their betting, the growing availability of online gambling has created new challenges for parents, regulators and public health professionals.

The latest Rutgers research makes the issue particularly difficult to ignore. Nearly 43% of teenagers surveyed reported gambling within the previous year, despite being below the legal age for regulated gambling activities.

As sports betting becomes more integrated into American entertainment, the debate is no longer limited to whether adults should be allowed to wager on games. It increasingly involves how young people are exposed to gambling, how addiction risks are identified and whether existing consumer protections are sufficient. For parents, the message is straightforward: Start the conversation early, be honest about the risks and make sure children understand that gambling can have serious consequences.