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Hello everyone. So, um, January 1st, 2026, the beginning of a new year, this year, that's the date that we played Indiana in the Rose Bowl. And although the result was not what we had hoped, a record-breaking $1.5 billion was wagered in bets in that single game. This is a result of the shadow gambling market that's present across all of America, especially present in the state of Alabama. Now, Alabama, when you turn 18, I mean, when you're in the years of 18 through 20, we're treated like adults. But when it comes to the sportsbook, we're treated like children. Every game day, our social media and broadcasts just shoves just betting down our throat, risk-free betting, and it's just targeting ads for all students. My advocacy comes from the 2026 Alabama legislative session, the offshore market data, and successful harm reduction models. I'm credible to speak on this as well through my research and all of that, as well as I myself did gamble on the Rose Bowl. I did take our money line, but we lost. So yeah, the Alabama legislature, Alabama legislature needs to establish an 18-year-old minimum gambling age, and it's going to stop illegal underage gambling and protect student finances and financial debt. And it's going to do it through the implementation of state-required financial risk training. And these are going to be programs that will be put into all public high schools. So today I'm going to talk about the offshore bets and debt, the causes of prohibition, the lack of education, and finally the solution of state-level reform. So problems is offshore drain is stealing student wealth. So according to the 2025 Annual Student Gambling Survey, reports that 18- to 20-year-olds spent an estimated $1.2 billion on offshore sites with zero protection. So Alabama students are being targeted by these foreign criminals, and they're just exploiting us for our money. So I mean, imagine like winning like a $2,000 parlay, like you with your boys, you're all hyped, and then that money's just gone. Just gone like that because you bet on a just black, like a criminal site like Pevada, that you can just run away with your money and you have no protection back to you. I'd be really sad. I feel like, you know, $2,000, I mean, I don't know about you, it's life-changing for me. I'd love to use that money in better ways. So, um, this extensive damage extends to a hidden addiction that is present on campus. So there's a silent addiction in the dorms in and across campus. So the Alabama Council on Compulsive Gambling issued a March 2026 report which states that student digital debt has increased by 22% since the year 2024. So you can't smell a gambling issue. I mean, it's not like alcohol, it's not like drugs. It just creeps up on you and just honestly ruins your life. And this is due to two main factors that, you know, leads students down these paths and into the shadows of these offshore markets. And one of these is the failure of prohibition. It does not function properly, and people also lack the essential mathematical knowledge and education. So, um, I mean, the prohibition paradox is very real, and history proves that banning the behavior doesn't stop it. It just honestly grows it, makes people more interested and curious in how to get around it. I mean, curiosity did kill the cat. People are very curious. So the United States National Library of Medicine reports that the 21 age limit, uh, prevents 18-year-olds from placing bets in a secure manner but does not prevent them from stopping placing bets as a whole. So the age limit just promotes, again, students into an unsafe environment with zero US protection. And, um, there's really just no concern for our safety on these websites. I mean, who's tired of being treated like they're half an adult? I mean, I know I'm 20 years old. It's like, I can't do this, but I can't do that. But I don't know if I'm an adult or not and go to war, but I can't gamble. I would like to spend the money that I make freely as I choose. The law is directing us to visit illegal sites while educational institutions are failing to provide resources to protect students from scams. So there is a massive probability gap in Alabama education. Alabama high schools operate without courses on probability and expected value. So these are really important skills that are to get the demonstrative ability to assess financial risks in real-world situations. I mean, students see a risk-free bet on just, you know, Instagram or YouTube and think, okay, I might click on it. But they don't really have the mathematical knowledge to know that, oh, this might be a trap, this could be a scam, I shouldn't do that. They weren't taught not to click on it. They don't know. So a study from the 2026 Current Addiction Reports described that 60% of minors Aged from the years 11 to 17 viewed gambling ads on YouTube and social media. Let me say that again, aged from the years 11 to 17. That is insane. I mean, these apps are directly targeting minors, and it's just that that's, that's not good. I don't think that's good, at least. I hope you don't either. We don't have to accept this though for our future. We can work for a more positive and better future. So our Alabama State Legislature and Board of Education should consider a lower and learn implementation as a solution that our education needs. So we need to implement the 18+ Alabama Regulation Act, and, um, it's really just going to be— we're going to get like a U.S.-regulated market that uses the tax that it earns from these bets for everyone to finance state-level mandates. So according to an international master of gaminglaw.org, since Indiana has legalized betting, it has generated $40 million in annual tax revenue used to fund public infrastructure and education. If we did that same thing, we would get a lot more money for the state of Alabama and be able to fund our own public infrastructure. I mean, we're the second poorest state in America. We can do a lot better than that. And so this path advocates for the Alabama Student Board of Education to change its current course of study. There's an existing career preparedness program, but if we just add a risk management and probability module that covers the mathematics for the mental readiness for gambling, then we could get everyone just mentally prepared and knowledgeable. I think mental health matters, and this could really help for a lot of people. So everyone needs to email AlabamaLegislature.gov, their representative of choice, to support the 18+ Education Amendment. I know a lot of you are thinking that if you lower the gambling age, it would reinforce gambling for a lot of people, but I disagree because this is a problem across America, and I mean, it's not going to go away. Like, we have to accept this problem and try and make the best out of it. And we can not only bring in more funds for the state of Alabama itself, we can also implement further education mandates so that the young students in high school in Alabama are further educated and knowledgeable. So it's a win-win situation. Um, Yeah, 2026 report from the Association of Gaming in America says 68% of under-21-aged college students bet on the Rose Bowl. So that's just like, it just shows it's not going to stop it if we just like, if we just pretend like it doesn't, like this problem doesn't exist. It exists and is very present. So to conclude, 18 means 18. Like, it means we're an adult. I spoke of the offshore crisis, the failure of prohibition, and finally state-level path to education reform. Don't let your future be in the hands of criminals. Take control, learn the math, and demand the rights that you earned when you became an adult when you turned 18. Thank you all.