By Corinne Hogseth
Two bills pertaining to online gambling have been introduced on Beacon Hill. One seeks to rein in easy access to gambling, the other seeks to expand it. Guess which one is getting more traction?
The first is S.302, An Act addressing economic, health and social harms caused by sports betting. This bill seeks to put the brakes on practices that make online sports betting more addictive and would more than double the taxes on sports betting companies. Introduced in February 2025, four other state senators have signed on as petitioners, but no hearing has been scheduled.
On the other hand, two companion bills, H.332 and S.235 An Act Regulating Internet Gaming seek to legalize online casino gambling. These bills were also introduced last February, but unlike S.302, they have already had a hearing.
Is it any surprise that legislators on a never-ending quest to grow government would prioritize the bill that would expand legalized gambling?
Adults are free to make bad decisions. However, online sports betting is taking an obvious toll on our children, particularly our sons. Legislators should never take action on any issue without knowing how it will impact children. Yet, in the last 15 years:
- Our education standards have been dumbed down via implementation of Common Core.
- Our schools were essentially closed for a year while those on Beacon Hill did the bidding of the MTA and local teachers’ unions.
- A hyper-progressive social agenda has infiltrated — and in some cases supplanted — traditional subjects in schools, to the point where kindergartners are “taught” that they can choose their gender.
- Recreational marijuana has been legalized, leading to more potent products being used by kids whose brains are not fully developed; smoke shops and billboards make it impossible to shield our kids from it seemingly ubiquitous presence in our communities, as does the apparent refusal of police to enforce the prohibition on outdoor use.
- Legalized sports betting has led to online gambling without safeguards to prevent underage users from gaining access.
These actions have been outright harmful to our children, families and the very fabric of society. The legalization of sports betting is yet another instance of legislation leading to negative impacts on our kids. While legalized sports betting and gambling is considered a form of adult entertainment, allowing online betting puts the bookie literally in our kids’ back pockets.
It doesn’t help that one can’t watch a baseball game — and there are 162 of Red Sox games televised every year – without being hit by up to six advertisements for DraftKings, BetMGM or some other online gambling platform. These commercials feature famous comedians and athletes – Shaq, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Gronk and Jamie Foxx to name a few. They are clearly targeting our sons. The only reason there aren’t even more ads is because Major League Baseball has imposed this limit. And even though the television ads are limited to six, the banners are still visible behind home plate, on the Green Monster and elsewhere throughout the broadcasts. Of course, it’s not just MLB pushing this at our kids. The Celtics and DraftKings have gone “into business together”. During the Stanley Cup Finals, ads averaged 3.5 per minute.
This addictive vice is being pushed at our youngest, most impressionable, most vulnerable children. Teenagers see thousands of these ads a year. And the companies behind those ads KNOW that. That is who they are targeting!
There is one piece of good news. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has introduced legislation that would require a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones in schools. Massachusetts — supposedly the most progressive state — has lagged the rest of the country on this issue. The State Senate passed their version in August; we’re waiting for a vote in the House. Both Representatives Cataldo and Sena are listed as petitioners of the House bill.
I raise the issue of phones because their prevalence in schools has been an accelerant for the adoption of online sports betting by underage gamblers. It’s part of the social scene for teenage boys. Please read this important article, Smartphone Gambling is a Disaster. While it does not focus just on teenage gambling, it does contain several startling studies, statistics and quotes. Among them:
- A 2022 National Council on Problem Gambling press release reported that 60 percent of high schoolers had gambled in the last year. [Note — this number is certainly higher now, as it has been made legal in more states; it was not allowed in Massachusetts until March 2023]
- “…one ex-FanDuel employee told Jonathan “anybody under twenty-five they have their eye on.””
- A 2019 literature review of 127 research papers found that men accounted for 98% of online sports bettors with a gambling problem.
- A 2023 study commissioned by the state of New Jersey found almost 19 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds qualified as having a gambling problem. [Note — half of that cohort is not allowed to legally gamble]
- “One suburban Massachusetts [emphasis added] public school teacher told Jonathan that his tenth-grade students “are always talking about their bets … betting lines and odds and all kinds of stuff. 15 year olds.””
The War Against Boys was written 25 years ago, revised 10 years ago. What we’re seeing today is even worse and has negative impacts for boys and girls.
- Common Core has since lowered our educational standards, and performance and behavior have dropped to meet those lowered expectations.
- Legalization of pot has normalized what was considered a vice only a few years ago; pot in the form of candy and soda is clearly marketed at our kids.
- And online sports betting has ensnared the majority of high school boys wherever it has been legalized.
All of these actions together have dimmed the prospects of entire generations. Millions are hooked on screens, pot and gambling. The impacts include a host of physical and mental health problems, reduced fertility, lowered educational outcomes and lower life expectancy. This is a national and societal catastrophe. It is time to reduce the influence of Big Tech, Big Pot and whatever we’re calling the gambling lobby (Big Bet?).
One bad bill is one bad bill, but several bad bills have compound negative effects. It is time for our elected officials to start undoing some of the damage they’ve done.
Please send emails to your elected officials requesting the following:
- Support AG Campbell’s legislation to significantly limit cell phone use in schools via H 666. Urge Representatives Cataldo and Sena to push for a vote on this important legislation so it can be implemented for the 2026-2027 school year;
- Support significant limitations on online sports betting via S 302;
- Oppose H 332 and S 235, which would allow online casino games. It is apparent there are no controls in place to keep marijuana and online sports betting from our kids; there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t be playing roulette or slots during school hours should this legislation pass.
State Senator Jamie Eldridge james.eldridge@masenate.gov
State Representative Danillo Sena Danillo.Sena@mahouse.gov
State Representative Simon Cataldo Simon.Cataldo@mahouse.gov
Note: The author is a member of the Acton Finance Committee, but writing on her own behalf.
The book The War Against Boys: How Misguided Policies are Harming Our Young Men by Christina Hoff Sommers was an interesting book for a parent like me with 9 and 6-year-old sons. I watched much of it play out in Gates, Conant, RJ Grey, and ABRHS.
The common core was not necessarily a problem. I think Google gets its most important ideas:
“Key principles
The Common Core is based on three major principles designed to promote deeper, more connected learning:
Focus: Students concentrate on fewer topics for a longer period of time, rather than learning many topics superficially. For example, math instruction focuses heavily on addition and subtraction in early grades and builds toward algebra in middle school.
Coherence: The standards are logically connected from one grade level to the next, building new concepts on previously mastered skills. This helps students make connections across different topics.
Rigor: The standards promote a balanced approach to learning that includes three aspects: conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and real-world application of knowledge.
Common Core for English language arts (ELA)
The ELA standards emphasize evidence-based writing and critical thinking across different subjects. Key shifts include:
Emphasis on nonfiction: Increased use of nonfiction texts in classrooms to expose students to more academic and informational content.
Text-based writing: Students write arguments supported by evidence found within complex texts, moving away from personal experience essays.
Literacy across subjects: Standards require that reading, writing, and communication skills be integrated into all subjects, including history, science, and technical classes.
Common Core for mathematics
In math, the standards promote a deeper understanding of underlying concepts rather than simple memorization of facts. The standards include eight “Standards for Mathematical Practice” that focus on developing problem-solving skills. These include:
Making sense of problems: Students are encouraged to develop solution pathways and strategies.
Reasoning and critiquing: Students learn to reason abstractly and construct logical arguments to evaluate the thinking of others.
Modeling with math: Students apply mathematical concepts to real-world scenarios.
Key principles
The Common Core is based on three major principles designed to promote deeper, more connected learning:
Focus: Students concentrate on fewer topics for a longer period of time, rather than learning many topics superficially. For example, math instruction focuses heavily on addition and subtraction in early grades and builds toward algebra in middle school.
Coherence: The standards are logically connected from one grade level to the next, building new concepts on previously mastered skills. This helps students make connections across different topics.
Rigor: The standards promote a balanced approach to learning that includes three aspects: conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and real-world application of knowledge.
Common Core for English language arts (ELA)
The ELA standards emphasize evidence-based writing and critical thinking across different subjects. Key shifts include:
Emphasis on nonfiction: Increased use of nonfiction texts in classrooms to expose students to more academic and informational content.
Text-based writing: Students write arguments supported by evidence found within complex texts, moving away from personal experience essays.
Literacy across subjects: Standards require that reading, writing, and communication skills be integrated into all subjects, including history, science, and technical classes.
Common Core for mathematics
In math, the standards promote a deeper understanding of underlying concepts rather than simple memorization of facts. The standards include eight “Standards for Mathematical Practice” that focus on developing problem-solving skills. These include:
Making sense of problems: Students are encouraged to develop solution pathways and strategies.
Reasoning and critiquing: Students learn to reason abstractly and construct logical arguments to evaluate the thinking of others.
Modeling with math: Students apply mathematical concepts to real-world scenarios. ”
There were legions whose orthodoxy was characterized by the chant,” The teachers will be forced to teach to the test.” The hatred for standards became a core belief.
It should be noted that Acton’s math curriculum produced a legion of competent graduates, so if there is anything to lament, it might be the potential decline of the math curriculum.
Gambling is a problem for many adults. Their thrill of winning transcends their agony of defeat. Seniors become slot addicted by experiencing ” close to winning” spins on the electronic machines. There is no “weak pot of my youth argument” for gambling’s effect on underdeveloped brains. There will be tragedy.