Hidden Holiday Hazards: Experts Warn Holiday Gifts May Carry Hidden Gambling Risks for Kids
Ohio for Responsible Gambling and Change The Game Ohio have released their Youth Gambling Prevention Gift Guide, urging families to take a closer look at the gifts they purchase for children.
Behavioral health specialists and youth-advocacy leaders say many popular items — from gaming apps to certain digital add-ons — can introduce kids to gambling-like features long before parents realize it.
The Youth Gambling Prevention Gift Guide is a resource designed to help adults understand how seemingly harmless presents can fuel risky habits. With children spending upward of 7½ hours per day on screens, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, experts say it is more important than ever for families to make informed choices.
“Video game gift cards, scratch-off lottery tickets, and gaming apps are common last-minute ideas for busy shoppers. But the hidden hazards and unintended consequences of these gifts are something we should remember when gifting to kids,” said Derek Longmeier, executive director of the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio.
Many popular games like Roblox and Fortnite include loot boxes, microtransactions, and other features that mimic slot-machine behavior. A recent news report says that over 100 million Americans regularly play on apps containing these mechanics. Longmeier notes that these systems stimulate the same brain responses seen in casino gambling — except children lack the ability to recognize or regulate the risks.
“We’d likely be worried if an adult spent seven hours at a casino seven days a week. That same experience is happening to thousands of Ohio children, and they aren’t grown up enough to regulate that problem,” Longmeier said.
Early exposure matters. Kids exposed to gambling before age 12 are four times more likely to develop gambling problems later in life. The National Institutes of Health links early gambling behaviors to higher rates of depression, anxiety, mood swings, underage drinking, drug use, truancy, and bullying.
To support parents, caregivers, and educators, Change The Game Ohio provides tools for recognizing risky gaming features, talking with children about safe screen use, and selecting gift alternatives that promote healthy development — without accidental exposure to gambling behaviors. The Prevention Gift Guide suggests alternatives such as:
• Games with upfront costs rather than “Freemium” models.
• Subscription services (like Game Pass) that avoid per-item microtransactions.
• Physical strategy board games to build critical thinking without the digital dopamine loop.
