SAIS Webinar | Student Safety Online - Sports Gambling Exposed

This impactful session features educator and speaker Arty Smith, Distinguished Teaching Chair at Kent Denver School. In this concise, 20-minute recorded webinar, Arty delivers a compelling introduction to the realities of youth sports gambling—an issue rapidly gaining traction in school communities.

Blending personal storytelling, research-based insights, and clear mathematical explanations, Arty unpacks how and why young people are drawn to gambling, and why so many mistakenly believe they can be profitable. The session explores the powerful role of cognitive biases, the influence of marketing tactics, and the structural advantage built into sports betting systems.

Participants will also gain insight into the normalization of gambling through sports culture and video game features like loot boxes, as well as the increasing prevalence of betting among teens and college students. Arty breaks down key concepts such as the “illusion of skill” in sports betting and demonstrates how certain bet types, like parlays, accelerate losses over time.

What You’ll Learn:

• Key trends in youth gambling and why this issue is growing
• How cognitive biases influence student behavior and decision-making
• The math behind sports betting and why the odds always favor the house
• Warning signs of problem gambling in adolescents
• Strategies for raising awareness and supporting prevention in school communities

Designed for heads of school, division leaders, deans of students, counselors, and student support teams, this on-demand webinar provides both a foundational understanding and practical entry points for addressing gambling-related risks in your school.

To explore additional resources and learn more about Arty’s work, visit abetorlife.com.

• Series: Safety

  Release Date: May 11, 2026

  Delivery: A link to the recording will be emailed to you on the release date.