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Gambling is another area where there’s a huge issue, not only in Medford but statewide. In 2023, Massachusetts reported 46% of middle schoolers were involved with online gambling of some sort while 48% of high schoolers reported the same thing. Those numbers increased from 2021 by 4% in both middle and high school.

The question is, why?

“It’s everywhere,” Shulman said, adding she was recently at a Bruins game where the scroll around the top of the arena announced that patrons should place their bets on Draft Kings. “It’s become part of the culture. Kids see someone in their family playing online games and there are apps or video games with built-in gambling behaviors.”

Dhingra said there was a lot of excitement across the state when online betting was allowed. She said that during a recent focus group, a student openly tried to convince other students they gamble more.