Webinar Recording | Behind the Bet: Addressing Gambling and Mental Health Among Young Men

In June 2026, FSRG brought together experts to address gambling risks and mental health challenges among young men. If you couldn’t attend the webinar, you can now watch the full recording below, along with key insights from the discussion.

Young men are navigating a gambling environment shaped by the rapid growth of sports betting, prediction markets, and algorithm-driven social media.

In this FSRG webinar, the American Institute for Boys and Men’s Jonathan Cohen and UCLA’s Dr. Timothy Fong join moderator Dr. Daniel Kaufmann of Kindbridge Behavioral Health to discuss why young men may be particularly vulnerable to gambling-related harm and how those harms can intersect with financial stress, isolation, and mental health.

Watch the full conversation to hear the panelists discuss early warning signs, more effective messaging, and opportunities to support young men before harm escalates.

About the Panelists:

Dr. Daniel Kaufmann, Ph.D., Director of Gaming Services & Program Development, Kindbridge

Dr. Daniel Kaufmann, Ph.D., LMHC / LPC, ICGC-II, IGDC, BACC, is an Associate Professor at Grand Canyon University and has served in multiple roles related to program development for Gambling and Video-related treatment programs. He currently serves as the Board President for the IGCCB. He is currently the co-chair of the APA research task force on gaming issues and is working on several nationwide training programs to help mental health professionals understand video games in innovative ways.

Dr. Timothy Fong, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and Co-Director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program

Dr. Fong is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. He is board certified in adult and addiction psychiatry. He is the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. The purpose of this program is to examine the clinical characteristics of gambling disorder in order to develop effective, evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies. Dr. Fong is also a member of the Steering Committee of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids whose mission is to address the most pressing questions related to the impact of cannabis legalization through rigorous scientific study and discourse across disciplines. He is the senior attending psychiatrist for the UCLA Sports Psychiatry Service which provides leading edge psychiatric care to athletes, coaches and families. Lastly, he is the President, of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Jonathan Cohen, Policy Lead, American Institute for Boys and Men

Jonathan D. Cohen leads gambling policy for the American Institute for Boys and Men. He is the author of Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling (2025) and For a Dollar and a Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America (2022).