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A new survey finds that 8% of US parents have turned to gambling to help pay for their children’s back-to-school expenses, highlighting the financial pressure facing families as the new school year approaches.
The survey of 2,000 parents of children ages 5-17 was conducted online by Talker Research on behalf of Beyond Finance from July 20-27, 2026. It examined how parents are managing the costs associated with back-to-school shopping.
The findings show that gambling is one of several financially burdensome strategies parents are using to cover school-related expenses, raising responsible gambling concerns about relying on it to pay for essential household needs.
Parents turn to debt, loans and gambling
Gambling ranked among several methods parents reported using to afford back-to-school supplies and other expenses.
- 23% said they had used buy-now, pay-later services
- 20% reported going into or accumulating additional credit card debt
- 16% said they had sold possessions
- 15% had taken out a personal or payday loan
- 12% said they had pawned possessions
- 8% reported gambling, either in person or online, to raise money for their children’s school expenses.
Parents also reported making significant sacrifices to cover the costs. 35% said they had cut back on dining out or takeout, 30% had reduced spending on hobbies, and 28% had cut back on personal expenses.
According to a Yahoo Finance report, 15% said they had sacrificed rent or mortgage payments to afford back-to-school purchases.
The survey also found that 70% of parents consider back-to-school shopping their most financially stressful time of the year. 70% said they feel pressure to provide their children with items comparable to what their peers have, while 42% said they regretted overspending.
Responsible gambling concerns grow amid financial pressure
Using gambling to generate money for essential household expenses carries a significant financial risk because gambling outcomes are uncertain and the expected return is negative for players over time.
The scale of the US regulated online gambling market has also continued to grow. State-regulated online sportsbooks and casinos generated $27.1 billion in gambling revenue in 2025, according to industry data compiled by the American Gaming Association.
That figure represents money retained as gambling revenue, rather than the total amount wagered or the total amount lost by individual players.
New research also provides additional context for concerns about gambling and household finances.
A June 2026 working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research examined the effects of sports betting legalization on household food sufficiency. Researchers found that legalization was associated with a 2.1% reduction in food sufficiency among working-age adults without a college degree. Among active bettors, the decline was 10.5%.
The researchers estimated that sports gambling legalization in nine states resulted in approximately 284,000 additional food-insecure households and $130.2 million in excess health care expenditures annually. The effects were also found to persist for three to five months during NFL seasons.
The findings do not establish that gambling is the cause of an individual parent’s financial difficulties. However, they add to concerns about the potential consequences when gambling becomes a strategy for meeting basic household expenses.
Back-to-school costs are straining family budgets
The survey suggests that gambling is part of a broader financial struggle rather than an isolated behavior.
Parents reported using a range of methods to make their children’s back-to-school purchases possible, including borrowing from family and friends, buying secondhand items, making supplies themselves and using coupons.
At the same time, many parents said they were sacrificing other household expenses to meet back-to-school demands. That pressure can make high-risk financial decisions, including gambling, particularly concerning.
For parents already struggling to balance household expenses, an unsuccessful gambling session can leave even less money available for necessities. Unlike buying used supplies or cutting discretionary spending, gambling does not provide a reliable way to reduce the cost of back-to-school shopping.
The survey highlights why responsible gambling remains important as legal gambling becomes increasingly accessible. Gambling should not be viewed as a reliable way to cover household expenses, particularly when families are already struggling to make ends meet.
