Kids as young as 12 are gambling through online sports betting accounts as a new study shows they are being exposed at younger ages.

Dr Christopher Hunt, senior clinical supervisor at the University of Sydney’s GambleAware clinic, says a new study shows children and adolescents are exposed to growing risks from online games.

He told Michael Genovese, in the Breakfast chair for Gareth Parker, earlier exposure makes them more likely to graduate to harmful or addictive gambling.

“They give the false impression that one, gambling is easy to win it and two, it just sets people up with a positive impression of gambling,” Dr Hunt told Genovese.