Risky Spending and Teen Gambling

In this personal finance lesson, students review statistics about underage gambling, listen to a section of a podcast on how teens get hooked on sports betting,  give thumbs up or thumbs down to statements that they believe are gambling, and create a public service poster to alert their peers to the dangers of teenage gambling.

SLIDES

Activity 1

Podcast – How teenagers can get hooked on sports betting

Activity 2

Activity 2 – Poster Rubric

Lesson Prep

• Review the slides and notes.
• Make copies of Activity 1 and Activity 2 and Activity 2 – Poster Rubric for each student.  Decide if you want students to create a hard copy of the poster or a digital copy.  If digital provide laptop and internet access.  If a hard copy, provide blank paper and markers.
• Listen to podcast – How teenagers can get hooked on sports betting

Warm Up

Have you played an online game with pay-to-play activities where you pay for extra coins, gems, power-ups, loot boxes, and skins? Have you ever spent more money than you intended?

Activity/Procedure

1. Students discuss statistics that highlight the problems of teen gambling.
2.  Listen to an excerpt from a podcast and have students complete the listening guide in Activity 1.  Play Podcast – How teenagers can get hooked on sports betting. Start at 1:30 and end at 5:44.
3. Thumbs up/Thumbs down activity from slides: Ask Students: “Why do you think this situation is or isn’t gambling?  What needs to change in the situation so that it would be considered gambling (or not gambling)?” Discuss answers.
4. Create a public service poster to educate peers about underage gambling.  Hand out Activity 2 and Activity 2 – Post Rubric. Have students choose one of the topics as the subject of their poster.  They can create a hard copy of the poster to display in school, or a digital copy for their social media.

Wrap Up

Anybody can reach out to 1-800-GAMBLER.

It’s a hotline that anybody can call and just say, “hey  I’m having a problem” or “I have a friend that I noticed is having a problem, I just want to talk to you, and I want to see what I can do and get  help” and it’s free.

Talk to someone.

For more information and to extend the lesson:

• https://www.mass.gov/info-details/teens-gambling-its-a-risk
• https://www.colorado.edu/health/blog/gambling-sports-betting
• https://mediasmarts.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/lesson-plan/Lesson_Online_Gambling_Youth.pdf