Is it ethical to bet on youth sports?

In the UK, sports betting is traditionally popular. According to official statistics, 14 billion pounds are bet annually. At the same time, the issue of betting on sports competitions involving underage athletes remains open.  

People who support the legalization of betting on youth and amateur sports give several arguments to support this position.

The first argument is that such bets are made anyway in illegal, unregulated markets. Youth cricket is most often predominant in this regard. Accordingly, there is no point in banning them, but legalization and taxation are precisely what is needed. Recent surveys show that people prefer to use offshore bookmakers' mobile applications for cricket betting. 

The situation is similar in India, which, along with the UK, is among the top five countries with high popularity of cricket. For example, in India, about 100 million dollars is bet annually on sports involving minors through downloadable betting apps. In comparison, in the UK, the figure is £300 million. And that's just youth cricket. There are other sports. So it turns out that the income from this market could be substantial and could be spent on health programs and other good deeds.

The second argument is that legalizing this type of betting in the UK would allow funding to be directed to a youth sport that lacks funding. Such funds could be used positively, for instance, to increase the involvement level of young people in sports.

Finally, some proponents of such rates say that after age 18, athletes legally become adults. They can make their own choices regarding gambling, and restricting betting for this age group could be viewed as inconsistent with their civil rights. 

However, this does not negate the existence of ethical risks, as minors are a vulnerable group. If they enter the gambling market, this would mean a potential risk of creating conditions for their exploitation. For example, underage players may be coerced into or seduced by match-fixing.  Young athletes are more impressionable, and punishments from sports governing bodies are often much more lenient than professional leagues.

In addition, normalizing gambling at a young age can lead to serious addiction problems once athletes are older. This risk is significantly increased when gambling is closely associated with youth interests such as sports.

Critics also say that betting on junior leagues seems even more ambiguous given the public crackdown on youth gambling, primarily because the leagues' fan base consists of teenagers. That said, betting carries mental health and financial risks, so youth leagues have a moral obligation not to promote such activities.