June
30,
2026 

Physicians
Warn
“Prediction
Market
Platforms”
Could
Threaten
Adolescents
with
Addiction
Disorders

With
online
betting
sites
called
prediction
market
platforms
growing
in
popularity,
the
Texas
Medical
Association
(TMA)
is
calling
for
increased
regulations
and
safeguards
to
protect
adolescents.

Young
people
are
increasingly
trying
these
prediction
market
platforms,
which
allow
users
to
bet
on
future
events
like
the
outcome
of
sporting
events
or
the
results
of
an
election
via
apps
typically
accessed
on
smartphones.

Texas
physicians
recently
adopted
new
TMA
policy
recommending
the
minimum
age
of
21
years
for
participating
in
these
platforms,
in
line
with
gambling
and
sports
betting
apps.

“It
is
not
considered
gambling
[by
legal
definition],
although
it
has
all
of
the
psychological
trappings
of
gambling,”
said
Lindy
McGee,
MD,
former
chair
of
TMA’s
Committee
on
Child
and
Adolescent
Health.

Texas
has
laws
against
most
types
of
gambling,
but
the
state
does
not
govern
prediction
market
platforms.
The
federal
Commodity
Futures
Trading
Commission
regulates
these
platforms,
which
are
not
classified
as
gambling.

Concerns
over
young
people
using
these
apps
trouble
physicians
who
worry
that
young
males
are
more
likely
to
develop
problem-gambling
behaviors,
driving
many
into
addiction
and
other
negative
behavioral
health
impacts.

More
than
35%
of
boys aged
11
to
17
report
having
gambled
in
the
past
year,
according
to
one
study.

Another found
58%
of
18
to
22-year-olds
surveyed
engaged
in
at
least
one
sports
betting
activity.

“The
adolescent
brain
is
primed
to
take
risks,”
making
them
susceptible
to
anything
addictive
like
nicotine
or
alcohol
–
or
gambling,”
Dr.
McGee
said.
“The
younger
you
start,
the
more
likely
you
are
to
become
addicted
to
it.”

She
knows
teens
who
have
accumulated
thousands
of
dollars
in
debt
using
online
platforms
before
they
turned
21,
saying
“it’s
like
high
school
children
are
walking
around
with
Vegas
in
their
pockets.”

The
TMA
policy
also
calls
for
adoption
of
these
safety
regulations:

1. Restrict
   advertising
   for
   prediction
   market
   platforms
   near
   schools
   and
   parks,
   and
   limit
   the
   presence
   of
   these
   ads
   on
   social
   media
   and
   gaming
   platforms
   that
   target
   adolescents;

2. 
   Prohibit
   advertising
   using
   celebrities,
   cartoons,
   or
   characters
   from
   games
   and
   shows
   marketed
   toward
   teens
   and
   children;
   and

3. Ensure
   advertising
   for
   these
   platforms
   stipulates
   that
   participation
   is
   only
   for
   people
   aged
   21
   years
   or
   older.

 TMA
advocates
for
improvements
to
laws
based
on
policy
adopted
by
its
physician
members.

Physicians’
concerns
come
as
lawmakers
are
also
calling
attention
to
the
issue:
The
Texas
Senate
Committee
on
State
Affairs
is
conducting
an
interim
study
on
“the
sudden
inundation
of
prediction
market
gambling
and
the
exploitation
of
federal
law
to
circumvent
Texas
gambling
prohibitions.”

TMA
is
the
largest
state
medical
society
in
the
nation,
representing
more
than
60,000
physician
and
medical
student
members.
It
is
in
Austin
and
has
110
component
county
medical
societies
around
the
state.
TMA’s
key
objective
since
1853
is
to
improve
the
health
of
all
Texans.

-30- 

See


medical
and
legal
disclaimer.
  

TMA
Contacts:  

Brent
Annear
 (512)
370-1381;
cell:
(512)
656-7320

Swathi
Narayanan (512)
370-1382;
cell:
(408)
987-1318

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