He got hooked on betting at age 11. By college he gambled 15 hours a day.

HUNTING VALLEY, Ohio — A Youthful Gambling Journey

Saul Malek, now 28, has become a symbol of caution for younger generations. Last month, he appeared at an all-boys private school in Cleveland, sharing his personal journey as a vivid example of how technology has turned everyday life into a constant stream of gambling opportunities. His story highlights the ease with which young minds can become entangled in the world of online wagering.

A Human Billboards of Digital Risk

Malek’s experience began with a seemingly harmless $10 bet on a baseball game during his teenage years. This small act evolved into an overwhelming habit, leaving him with $25,000 in debt and thoughts of suicide by the age of 21. “You don’t even realize that what you’re doing is harming you as it’s happening,” he told a group of high school students, a sentiment he later echoed with younger seventh and eighth graders.

“So who are my sports fans in the room?” he asked an audience of teenagers, each dressed in dark blazers and button-down shirts. Hands shot up across the auditorium, signaling the widespread appeal of sports betting among the youth.

Students in attendance, like their peers nationwide, have grown up surrounded by apps that make betting on individual plays, international politics, and even award show mishaps as simple as a tap on a screen. Their parents, too, have noticed this shift. “The three big things are drugs, alcohol and gambling, that parents might freak out about,” said Henry Brown, a University School senior. “And I’d say gambling is probably the most common.”

At University School, discussions about the Cleveland Cavaliers often devolved into debates over which bet to place on James Harden’s rebounds. When a teacher screened Olympic men’s hockey during class, a student lamented that they hadn’t bet on the game. This normalization of gambling has become so prevalent that even casual conversations can spiral into high-stakes decisions.

From Skins to Spreads

Kurt Freudenberg, a 23-year-old who began gambling at 11, offers another perspective on the early onset of this habit. He traded valuable “skins” — video game cosmetic upgrades — for digital currency, using it to place bets on online blackjack and roulette. Within weeks, Freudenberg was wagering thousands daily, a trend that intensified as he moved into sports betting and cryptocurrency-based offshore casinos. “It felt like a high, an extreme rush,” he recalled. “Nothing compared to that high on gambling.”

“If I had a bad day I’d gamble. If I had a good day I’d gamble,” Freudenberg said. “Gambling was my best friend.”

By high school, his peers were also involved, making the habit feel less isolating. His parents only discovered his addiction after he entered college, where he reportedly spent 15 hours a day gambling. “We thought he was gonna say it was drugs,” his mother Kim said. “But he said, ‘I’m gambling.’”

The Growing Concern Among Teenagers

National data on teen gambling addiction remains sparse, but localized surveys suggest its prevalence is rising. A recent Common Sense Media study found that a third of U.S. boys aged 11 to 17 had gambled in the past year, encompassing online sports betting, lottery tickets, and peer poker games. In Massachusetts, one survey revealed that roughly 10% of young gamblers experienced problematic behavior affecting their personal lives, family dynamics, or academic performance.

As awareness grows, treatment centers and recovery groups are seeing an influx of teenage boys and young men. Elizabeth Thielen, senior director at Nicasa Behavi, noted the trend: “When I started, most of the clients in the treatment program were probably in their 40s, 50s, 60s. Lottery, casino players, that sort of thing. And in the past few years, it’s just gotten really young.”