Tennessee Makes $3 Million Available to Prevent Youth Gambling: Survey Finds 15 Percent of Students Gambled in the Past Month
The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) announced in Nashville on October 30, 2026, that it is making $3 million in grant funding available to strengthen prevention and awareness of youth gambling in Tennessee. The department is soliciting proposals from public agencies, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, community-based organizations, and licensed providers, with proposals due November 28; the proposals will be reviewed, scored, and awarded competitively.
Projects will be funded from two pools: $1.5 million in recurring dollars and $1.5 million in non-recurring dollars. Under the Tennessee Sports Gaming Act, TDMHSAS receives 5 percent of the privilege tax assessed on licensed sportsbooks, and both current gambling treatment services and the services awarded through this announcement are funded with that revenue.
The announcement is a direct result of the Youth Gambling Prevention and Awareness Work Group, convened by the department during the summer and fall with leaders from behavioral health, education, prevention, healthcare, youth-serving organizations, treatment, research, and gambling regulation. The group identified the need for stronger prevention messaging, youth and parent engagement, workforce training, school-based education, early identification, treatment and referral pathways, recovery support, data and evaluation, and collaboration across agencies.
Recent Tennessee data show the need. The 2024-25 TN Together Student Survey of more than 11,000 students from 34 Tennessee counties reported that 15 percent of students had gambled during the past 30 days; among them, 43 percent gambled on six or more days, and one in four reported sometimes or often thinking about gambling or planning to gamble. The average age of gambling initiation was about 12 years old.
"Tennessee youth are increasingly exposed to gambling-related ads, content, apps, and online financial risk-taking," said TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams, LCSW, adding that the state has dedicated funding, clinical and research partners, a statewide helpline, and strong education, health, prevention, youth, family, and regulatory networks, and that the work group's recommendations offer a framework to connect these resources into one coordinated system focused on youth. Tennessee Sports Wagering Council Executive Director Mary Beth Thomas said a coordinated approach across sectors is critical, noting the council is focused on eradicating illegal platforms from Tennessee because they prey upon youth by not restricting minors from accessing their sites and accepting credit, among other predatory practices.
Families in Tennessee currently have access to free treatment through The Gambling Clinic, funded by TDMHSAS, which offers in-person counseling in Memphis, Nashville, and Johnson City and telehealth services across the state.
Source: 田纳西州心理健康与药物滥用服务部
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Nashville 的田纳西州议会大厦。FaceMePLS 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville. By FaceMePLS, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
