Gambling has become considerably easier to encounter.

Sports betting is embedded in broadcasts and social media. Prediction markets and speculative financial products can resemble gambling without always being understood that way. Video games contain chance-based mechanics, and betting culture increasingly reaches young people through athletes, influencers, friends, and online communities.

Kokosing research examines how young people understand and participate in these new forms of risk.

We are interested not only in how many young people gamble, but in the circumstances surrounding that behavior: when they first encounter betting, how they perceive the odds, whether they distinguish investing from gambling, how peer behavior influences participation, and which young people appear most vulnerable to financial harm.

This work also asks a broader question. As the line between entertainment, speculation, and gambling becomes less obvious, are young people being given the tools they need to recognize the difference?