DraftKings CEO Jason Robins says every parent needs to talk to their kids about gambling addiction, whether or not the family works in the betting business.
Quick Take
- DraftKings CEO Jason Robins told CNBC that parents should have open conversations with kids about gambling addiction.
- Robins said he talked with his own children about DraftKings and told them they could not bet until age 21.
- Reports show teens sometimes bypass betting age limits by using parents’ accounts or devices.
- Research on gambling messaging shows awareness campaigns often fail to change actual behavior.
What Robins Actually Said
Jason Robins made his comments in a CNBC interview with Contessa Brewer published October 28, 2026. He said parents should talk to their kids about gambling addiction, “even if you don’t have a business or don’t live in a world where the kids grow up around it.” Robins runs one of the biggest sports betting companies in America, so his words carry weight far beyond his own household.
Robins didn’t just offer advice from a distance. He told CNBC he has had these talks with his own kids, explaining what DraftKings does and setting a clear rule: no betting until they turn 21. His core message was simple. “The important thing is just to have a transparent relationship with your kids, where they feel like they can ask you anything,” he said.
Why Parents Can’t Ignore This Problem
Robins isn’t raising this topic in a vacuum. The Boston Globe reported that some teenagers get around age restrictions by logging into a parent’s betting account instead of creating their own. DraftKings bans wagering by minors and points families toward parental-control software when kids can reach a shared computer. But a rule on paper means little if a teenager already knows mom or dad’s password.
NBC News told the story of a California man who started gambling at age 11 and was fully hooked by college. That kind of early exposure doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because betting apps are everywhere, phones are personal, and curious kids find workarounds faster than most parents expect. A conversation at the dinner table is a start, not a finish line.
Where The Evidence Gets Complicated
Here’s the honest part nobody at a betting company wants to dwell on. Research hasn’t settled whether talking about gambling actually stops kids from gambling. A 2024 review found that existing gambling awareness messages raise awareness but show little proof of changing behavior. A broader scan of thousands of studies turned up barely 20 that even tested the question properly.
That doesn’t make Robins wrong to encourage parents to speak up. Open communication between parents and kids is linked to better outcomes across plenty of other risky behaviors, from drinking to video game overuse. But it does mean a conversation works best as one piece of a bigger puzzle, not a stand-alone fix for an industry built on making betting fast, easy, and constantly within reach.
DraftKings CEO Jason Robins says parents should talk with kids about gambling addictionhttps://t.co/VibPgm7YLP
— CNBC Sport (@CNBCSport) October 28, 2026
The Bigger Picture Parents Should Weigh
DraftKings offers real tools on its platform. The company lists wagering limits, maximum-wager caps, self-exclusion options, and cooling-off periods for anyone worried about their own gambling or a family member’s. Those tools only matter if parents know they exist and use them alongside the talks Robins recommends. Awareness without action helps nobody.
Skipping the conversation entirely is clearly worse than having it, even if it’s imperfect. Common sense says kids who feel comfortable asking questions at home are less likely to hide risky behavior later. Robins is right to push parents toward that openness. The responsibility shouldn’t stop there, though. Betting companies, regulators, and families all need to close the access gaps that let minors slip through in the first place.
Sources:
cnbc.com, qz.com, rg.draftkings.com, bostonglobe.com, nbcnews.com
