Ben Affleck’s youngest son, Samuel, apparently has an eye for sports betting. His father recently detailed the young man’s interest during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Samuel has played sports and attended professional basketball and baseball games with his dad. That apparently transitioned into wanting cash to place some wagers.
“My son asked me like a month ago, [he] was like, ‘Hey, um, can I get like 100 bucks to bet on sports?’” Affleck told Kimmel.
Affleck Says Kids Have Growing Interest In Sports Betting
Affleck shared that Samuel, who will be 14 years old in February, told him that boys his age were already placing wagers.
“He’s like, ‘My friends get $100, but if they lose it, then that’s it,’” Affleck said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s a real standard, what discipline! So that you don’t come twitching back going, ‘I know that Green Bay is going to cover the over in the second half.’”
The younger Affleck’s interest comes as betting has become a bigger part of the sports landscape, with ads and wagering-related content featured in most broadcasts.
An interest in sports betting apparently runs in the family. Affleck said his father worked at a bar but ran a side business as a bookie.
“I remember our first washing machine, our first VCR, in fact, dad coming home like, ‘You can thank Steve Grogan for this,’ the quarterback of the Patriots. ‘Everybody keeps betting the Patriots to beat the spread.’
“And so I really was grateful that the Patriots were terrible. Just thank Steve Grogan’s knees for our VCR,” Affleck told Kimmel.
Affleck is also known to be one of Hollywood’s biggest poker players. In 2019, he won a four-figure sum in a short, high-stakes session at Los Angeles’ Commerce Casino. He also won the California State Poker Championship in 2004 for $356,400.
Affleck was also banned from the Hard Rock Casino in 2014 for counting cards at the blackjack table.
Ramsey Issues Warning On Sports Betting
The news comes as Dave Ramsey recently aired his opposition to sports betting. The Christian financial guru and radio show host said gambling addiction is hurting young men across the country.
“The fastest-growing addiction that is destroying young men in their 20s is online sports gambling,” Ramsey said. “FanDuel is a portal to hell. DraftKings ain’t king of anything except their pocketbook. And they are screwing an entire generation of young men.”
Online sports gambling is destroying a generation of young men. pic.twitter.com/uRlL6UlWWA
— Dave Ramsey (@DaveRamsey) January 6, 2026
Those concerns seem to fall in line with Pope Leo XIV, who also recently warned against the dangers of gambling addiction.
Ramsey said gambling can lead to debt, which is what he urges listeners to avoid.
“You don’t win,” Ramsey said. “That’s why they can afford to buy ads. They’re back-to-back-to-back every time you turn on a sporting event. They’re spending billions of dollars. You know where they’re getting that? It’s out of your kid’s freaking pockets. This is evil stuff right here.”
There are currently 39 states that have legalized sports betting. Prediction markets, which include contracts that mirror sports betting, are available in most of the others.
