Half of US millennials who regularly gamble do so to pay off debt: poll

Dig Deeper

The Backstory

Younger bettors meet heavier debt loads

The poll on millennials and Gen Z gambling to pay down debt lands at the intersection of two trends that have been building across the U.S. market: younger consumers are under greater financial strain, and digital wagering products have made gambling easier to access, repeat and combine with other speculative activity.

That tension has become more visible as sports betting, online casino, fantasy sports, prediction markets and retail-adjacent gaming formats compete for the same users. The latest findings suggest gambling is not merely entertainment for a significant share of younger adults. For many, it has become part of a broader attempt to manage unsecured debt, rising living costs and financial anxiety.

Credit cards, subscriptions, delivery apps and social media shopping have added pressure for younger consumers already facing higher rent, student loan obligations and slower progress toward homeownership. Against that backdrop, gambling can appear to some as a shortcut to financial relief. The risk is that products designed for frequent engagement can deepen the same debt burdens users hope to escape.

Growth has been concentrated among Gen Z and millennials

The demographic pattern was already clear in a recent TransUnion study that found Gen Z and millennials are driving gambling growth in the U.S. The credit reporting agency said U.S. gambling activity rose to 30% in the second quarter of 2025 from 25% a year earlier, with regular participation at 34% among Gen Z and 42% among millennials.

TransUnion’s findings also showed younger bettors were more likely to engage in speculative behavior across categories, including cryptocurrency trading and investing. That matters because the new debt-focused poll puts gambling in the same behavioral cluster as other high-risk financial activities. For consumers carrying unsecured debt, the line between entertainment, investment and financial desperation can become blurred.

The report identified younger gamblers as more likely to live in urban areas, rent rather than own homes and use mobile gambling apps. Millennials increased betting across both land-based and online channels, while Gen Z growth came exclusively from online sports betting. That split reflects the market’s evolution since the 2018 Supreme Court decision that allowed states to legalize sports wagering. Mobile apps have shortened the distance between a financial impulse and a placed bet.

TransUnion also warned that younger consumers’ finances were becoming more fragile. Millennial debt payments rose 20% year over year, while Gen Z debt climbed 27%, outpacing inflation and wage growth. The debt poll’s finding that large shares of younger regular gamblers have wagered in an attempt to pay off debt is therefore not an isolated data point. It extends a pattern in which gambling participation is rising fastest among those facing mounting obligations.

A broader participation paradox

The youth-driven growth has emerged even as overall U.S. gambling participation appears to have declined from prior decades. A Gallup survey found U.S. gambling participation has fallen 19% since 2016, with 45% of adults saying they gambled in the past year, compared with 64% in 2016.

That contrast underscores a market shift rather than a simple contraction. Fewer adults may be gambling overall, but those who do participate increasingly encounter digital products that allow higher frequency and more personalized engagement. Gallup found participation declined across most gambling activities, including lottery purchases and traditional sports betting measures. Internet gambling was one of the few categories that increased, rising from 3% to 4%.

The finding helps explain why younger consumers can simultaneously drive growth while national participation falls. Older, casual or lottery-focused players may be pulling back. Younger users, by contrast, are more likely to be active on mobile platforms and exposed to online sports betting, prediction-style products and gamified casino formats. The result is a narrower but potentially more intensive customer base.

For regulators and operators, that distinction is significant. A market dependent on fewer but more active users faces different responsible gambling challenges than one dominated by occasional lottery buyers or casino visitors. It also raises questions about whether traditional consumer-protection tools are adequate for users who see gambling as part of a personal finance strategy.

Warning signs from state helplines

State-level data has started to show the consequences of that shift. In North Carolina, the Problem Gambling Helpline reported that sports betting became the highest reported gambling problem, surpassing lottery for the first time. The change came after the state legalized sports betting in March 2024.

The helpline answered more than 8,100 calls in the latest fiscal year, up more than 11% from 2024. Officials said younger adults were encountering problems more quickly, often within less than a year of starting sports betting. Contacts tied to sports betting were more likely to involve people ages 18 to 34, and concerned parents accounted for half of sports betting-related contacts.

Those details give context to the debt poll’s generational findings. If younger adults are using gambling to address debt, harm may surface faster than in older forms of gambling because mobile sports betting offers continuous access, rapid deposit cycles and a steady stream of events. A lottery ticket or occasional casino visit creates a different cadence than an app that can prompt repeat play throughout the day.

North Carolina’s data also showed digital gambling growth beyond sports betting. Fiscal-year lottery sales reached about $6.6 billion, boosted by $2.6 billion in digital instant sales in the product’s first full year, while retail lottery sales fell 6%. That suggests the migration to digital channels is reshaping not only sports wagering but also legacy products long viewed as relatively stable and mature.

Public skepticism is rising with market expansion

The political backdrop is becoming more complicated. A national poll provided to The Center Square found supporters of legalized sports betting were in the minority, with 47% of registered voters opposed and 31% in favor. Opposition cut across party lines, while 22% were undecided or had no opinion.

The survey reflects a growing gap between legalization momentum and public comfort with the industry’s footprint. Since 2018, states have embraced sports betting as a source of tax revenue and consumer choice. Yet advertising saturation, athlete and college-sports concerns, and problem gambling indicators have made sports wagering a more contested policy issue.

State-level polling cited in the report showed stronger opposition in some markets, including 64% in Wisconsin and 56% in Massachusetts. That skepticism could shape future debates over whether to authorize online casino, expand betting menus or impose tougher marketing and affordability controls.

The debt findings may add force to those debates. Lawmakers who once framed legalization primarily around capturing offshore wagering and creating taxable revenue may now face more pressure to address consumer debt, youth exposure and the blending of gambling with speculative finance. The issue is no longer only whether adults should be allowed to bet. It is whether the market is encouraging financially stressed consumers to chase losses or seek debt relief through games of chance.

Operators chase engagement as risks draw scrutiny

The industry’s product strategy is also moving toward more immersive, entertainment-led experiences. Hard Rock Digital and Playtech recently launched a live trivia experience on Hard Rock Bet in New Jersey, positioning the format as scheduled, interactive entertainment rather than a conventional casino product.

That launch illustrates how operators are trying to adapt to younger audiences shaped by streaming, social media and mobile-first entertainment. Playtech executives said future igaming growth will depend on more seamless and interactive digital experiences, while Hard Rock described trivia as part of a broader push into differentiated content and social engagement.

Those innovations may broaden appeal and help operators stand out in crowded regulated markets. They also complicate the responsible gambling calculus. Products that resemble entertainment, competitions or social games can attract users who do not identify as traditional gamblers, particularly younger consumers accustomed to app-based rewards and digital communities.

The stakes for the current debt poll are therefore larger than one survey result. It connects financial stress, youth gambling growth, mobile product design, helpline demand and public skepticism. If younger adults increasingly view betting as a debt-management tool, the industry and regulators face a tougher question: whether safeguards can keep pace with a market built for speed, access and repeat engagement.