The Moment
Ben Affleck just told a story that every modern parent probably felt in their spine.
During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 52-year-old actor said his 13-year-old son Samuel asked him for money – not for sneakers, not for a game, but for sports betting.
“My son asked me like a month ago, [he] was like, ‘Hey, um, can I get like 100 bucks to bet on sports?'” Affleck recalled to Kimmel.
Affleck said Samuel explained that his friends get $100 and, if they lose it, that’s it. Ben’s reaction? Somewhere between amused, alarmed and deeply unimpressed with the supposed “discipline” of losing once and walking away.
The anecdote came as Affleck was talking about his own upbringing, including the fact that his father, Timothy Affleck, worked as a small-time bookie while tending bar. Ben jokes now that the family’s first washing machine and VCR were thanks to people betting on the New England Patriots to beat the spread back when the team was terrible.
Shortly after that Kimmel appearance, Affleck spoke with Jenna Bush Hager on the Today show about wanting his kids to understand work and money. He said he tells them, essentially, if you want the expensive thing, imagine working minimum wage for 1,000 hours first. Suddenly, those sneakers look very different.
He also shared that his older daughters, Violet, 20, and Seraphina, 17, already have jobs – real-world experience that he clearly wants all his kids to have, even while growing up in one of Hollywood’s most famous families.
The Take
I don’t know what shocked people more: that a 13-year-old asked his dad for betting money, or that there’s apparently a middle school friend group where “everyone gets $100 to gamble.”
This is one of those stories that sounds funny on late-night TV but quietly screams, this is not normal. Not because Samuel is some kind of problem child – he’s a teenager growing up in a world flooded with betting apps and nonstop sports gambling ads. Frankly, I’d be more surprised if one of these celebrity kids didn’t ask about it.
The real red flag is how quickly sports betting has been sold to kids as just another part of fandom, like jerseys and fantasy leagues. When a 13-year-old sees constant commercials with famous athletes and comedians joking about odds, what do we think they’re going to ask Dad for? A savings bond?
Affleck’s story also has layers because of his own family history. His dad was literally a bookie, in a time when taking bets in the back of a bar was something you hid, not sponsored a halftime show with. Now, the same behavior is not only legal in many states, it’s branded and gamified on your phone.
It’s like watching the family business go from smoky side hustle to shiny app storefront – and now the grandkids are trying to sign up.
To his credit, Ben doesn’t seem remotely tempted to be the “cool dad” who hands over the cash and laughs it off. His comments on Today about hard work and his kids clocking actual hours for their money sound downright old-school, in the best way. He’s giving big “you can mow lawns for that” energy, not “sure, here’s a hundred, good luck on the over-under.”
Is it a little ironic that one of Hollywood’s most famous Red Sox-obsessed, poker-friendly movie stars is now the guy lecturing about earning your keep? Of course. But honestly, that might make him exactly the right person to pump the brakes. He’s seen how money and risk can blur together – in the industry, in casinos, and yes, apparently, in his own childhood living room with a Patriots game on.
The headline will be “Ben Affleck’s kid wants to bet on sports.” The story underneath is a lot more familiar: parents trying to raise grounded kids in a culture that keeps telling them everything is easy money and house money, especially if you can do it from your phone before algebra class.
Receipts
Stunned Ben Affleck reveals son Samuel, 13, asked him for sports betting money https://t.co/jlVWNkrDI0 pic.twitter.com/7tOYS0ZXeB
— Page Six (@PageSix) January 7, 2026
Confirmed:
- Affleck said on Jimmy Kimmel Live that his 13-year-old son Samuel asked him for $100 to bet on sports, describing it as a recent conversation.
- On the same show, Affleck explained that his father, Timothy Affleck, worked in a bar and made much of his money as a small-time bookie, and joked that some family appliances came from people wrongly betting on the New England Patriots to cover the spread.
- In a separate interview on NBC’s Today with Jenna Bush Hager, Affleck said he believes parents do kids a “disservice” if they don’t teach them they have to work for what they want, and described a “1,000 hours at minimum wage” example to make pricey purchases feel real.
- Affleck also told Today that his older daughters, Violet and Seraphina, already have jobs, highlighting his push for his kids to experience work.
Unverified / Anecdotal:
- Samuel’s claim that his friends each receive $100 from their parents to bet on sports is presented as his perspective; we have no independent confirmation of what other families are doing.
- Any broader conclusions about how widespread teen betting is, beyond what Affleck described, are cultural context and not specific reporting about Samuel’s peer group.
Sources: Affleck’s interviews as described in a January 7, 2026 entertainment report summarizing his appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live and NBC’s Today.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you’ve lost track of the Affleck family tree, a quick refresher: Ben Affleck shot to fame in the late ’90s with Good Will Hunting, became a mega-star with films like Armageddon and Gone Girl, and more recently played Batman. He shares three kids – Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel – with ex-wife Jennifer Garner. The two have long been praised for relatively drama-free co-parenting, even as Affleck’s personal life has stayed very public, including his rekindled (and now reportedly strained) relationship with Jennifer Lopez. Through all of that, he’s still the Boston guy who loves his teams and his kids fiercely, and he’s never been shy about talking family life on talk shows.
What’s Next
Will this turn into a big parenting crusade for Ben Affleck? Maybe not, but don’t be surprised if the clip keeps circulating every NFL Sunday while the betting ads roll.
Sports gambling is only getting more visible, and celebrity parents – especially those with sports-loving kids – are going to face the same question Samuel asked, just with smaller allowances. Expect more stars to start talking about how they’re handling betting apps, social media money trends, and the “easy cash” fantasy being sold to teens.
For Affleck, the next step may simply be doubling down on that “you have to work for it” message. His daughters already having jobs is a strong signal of how he wants his kids to understand money: earn first, spend later, and maybe skip the point spread altogether.
And if nothing else, his story might prompt a lot of parents to look at the next game on TV and ask themselves a simple question: if my kid came to me for betting money tomorrow, do I actually know what I’d say?
What about you? If your teen (or grandchild) asked for cash to place a sports bet, would you treat it as a teachable money lesson, a hard no, or something in between?
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