Across the country, gambling has moved from casinos and racetracks into our everyday lives. Sports betting apps, fantasy leagues, and card games have become widely popular, including with teenagers at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS). Even when the stakes are small, the excitement of risk and competition can make gambling tempting.

Playing poker has long been a pastime of a subset of high school students. Physics teacher Dana Munn recalls that as far back as the early 2000s, students were interested in cards. “I had a group of students — very bright, you know, math-oriented students — who were really good at probability theory and strategy, and they were very interested in playing cards,” he said.

These days, students can sometimes be found playing card games like spoons, war, and poker, finding time in a study hall or flex block. In the school-based version of these games, the stakes are low, time is of the essence, and money is rarely wagered.

Most gambling happens at students’ homes during poker nights. There, students play rounds of poker games (typically Texas Hold ’Em) with a $20 buy-in. Senior Will Simmons describes the atmosphere: “Someone will announce [the game] earlier in the week. When we all come, normally the host will have a table set up. Sometimes we have to scramble and someone needs to bring the chips, and then we all put the money in a pot and take 15 or 20 minutes to say ‘what’s up’ to one another; then we get going,” he said. 

The amount of people in attendance at poker nights can vary widely, depending on people’s availability. “Last year, we had some big groups, where we’ve had three poker tables of anywhere from 5 to ten people, which was kind of a big scale … but we’ve also had just three or five people,” said Will. 

Many high schoolers find the scene at poker nights to be enjoyable because of how different it is from other social settings. Senior Harrison Lazarus, who first became interested in poker after watching YouTube videos of the game, appreciates the competitive yet relaxed atmosphere of poker nights.

“For some kids, it’s probably about turning some kind of profit, but I think it’s mostly an excuse to hang out with a bunch of friends,” he said. “It’s nice because no one uses their phone. Everyone’s pretty much talking all the time.”

Harrison also feels like poker is a unique way to spend time with friends. “I definitely think it’s a breath of fresh air to do something that’s kind of old-fashioned, because people have been running poker nights since forever. It’s like a tradition,” he said. 

While poker played in garages and basements may feellike a timeless pastime, they exist within a wider moment in our country where gambling has become increasingly accessible. Around the world, online sports betting and casino-style phone apps have become more common, often with age restrictions that can be navigated around by most tech-savvy teenagers. Bets can now be placed quickly and effortlessly, and advertising for gambling apps appears across social media and TV. 

As access to online gambling has grown, so have the stakes for participants. A junior at MVRHS who wished to remain anonymous stated that they participate in online sports betting, and have experienced the negative effects of this increased access: “The first time I bet, I lost $3,000, and I just kept betting. I bet [another] $2,000 and lost it,” they said. When asked what made them keep going, the student said, “The adrenaline.” 

In other cases, online betting does not consist of losing large sums of money. Senior Griffin Callahan uses the app Fliff. “It’s a sports-betting app that doesn’t use real money, but it’s really fun,” he said. 

Even with the temptations of the online world, many students continue to find the main draw of gambling to be centered around a familiar room, a group of friends, and a stack of chips that returns to a box at the end of the night. The appeal comes from competing but also from being together. “We don’t have to front about our personalities, which one might feel compelled to do in a normal social setting. Everyone’s just being real and having a great time,” said Harrison.