He got hooked on betting at age 11. By college he gambled 15 hours a day.
He got hooked on betting at age 11. By college he gambled 15 hours a day.
In Hunting Valley, Ohio, Saul Malek has become a cautionary tale for students. Once, he might have been a former drug user or reckless driver, but now the 28-year-old stands as a living example of the latest trap for young Americans: digital gambling. Malek recently addressed a group of teenagers at University School in Cleveland, sharing how a small $10 wager on a baseball game in his youth snowballed into a costly obsession. By 21, he owed $25,000 and faced thoughts of ending his life. “You don’t even realize the damage you’re causing until it’s too late,” he explained to the group, a warning he later repeated to seventh and eighth graders.
Today’s youth are intimately aware of the addictive power of betting apps, which allow wagering on everything from game plays to global events. Their parents, too, have noticed the trend. “Drugs, alcohol, and gambling are the three main concerns for parents,” said Henry Brown, a senior at University School. “And gambling is the one that’s most common.” The students described how discussions about the Cleveland Cavaliers often devolved into arguments over bets on James Harden’s performance. Even classroom moments, like an Olympic hockey match, triggered debates about which bets to place.
“You don’t even realize that what you’re doing is harming you as it’s happening,”
Saul Malek told the teenagers, highlighting how quickly the habit takes hold. One student recounted how his classmates would obsess over betting on NBA and NFL games, even during soccer practice. “Their mind’s in another place — probably on the spreads,” said Gavin Owens, a senior at the school. He noted how one friend always had his phone open, lost in the world of gambling apps.
Kurt Freudenberg’s early start
Kurt Freudenberg began his gambling journey at age 11, trading in-game currency for digital money to place bets on virtual sites. Within weeks, he was wagering thousands daily on blackjack and roulette, chasing the thrill of wins that quickly spiraled into losses. “It felt like a high, an extreme rush,” Freudenberg, now 23, 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,”
he said, describing how gambling became his constant companion. By high school, the practice had grown to include sports betting and cryptocurrency-based casinos, where he once earned $5,000 on a single game. His parents remained unaware until college, where Freudenberg’s routine of 15-hour gambling sessions left him neglecting basic tasks like brushing his teeth or attending class. “We thought he was gonna say it was drugs,” his mother, Kim Freudenberg, said. “But he said, ‘I’m gambling.’”
Experts report a surge in teenage gambling cases, with clinics seeing more young men than ever before. “When I started, most clients were in their 40s, 50s, or 60s,” said Elizabeth Thielen, senior director at Nicasa Behavi. “Now, it’s getting really young.” While national data on youth gambling is sparse, local surveys suggest the issue is widespread. A Massachusetts study found that 10% of young gamblers faced disruptions in their lives, families, or education. Meanwhile, Common Sense Media’s recent survey revealed a third of boys aged 11 to 17 gambled within the past year, including online sports bets and poker games with friends.
