[quasiperfectus]

> Gambling has become a more common leisure activity than reading a book

I feel like if it took me 20hr to place a bet I'm probably not doing much of that either.

Anecdotal, but my 7y/o loves reading. She's flying through series' and it's getting pricey. I guess she falls in the 16% of people who enjoy it.

[sanmarzano]

It does. People who bet on sports sink hundreds of hours into forums and consuming visual content. Placing a bet takes 30 seconds, deciding what to bet on takes people a very long time. As long as reading a book.

[quasiperfectus]

I think you're vastly overestimating the amount of time people put into researching. A very small minority, sure, but most sports bettors look at the lines and pick.

[sanmarzano]

Possibly. The only people I know that gamble are sports bets, and they consume sports at a near constant rate.

[apparent]

Same with my girls (parents of boys seem to mostly have a different experience). Hopefully your kid gets access to digital libraries like Epic or Sora at school. There are also public libraries with ebook lending that can make the habit cheaper.

[DeluluDon]

My mother taught me how to read, I'm male. Incidentally, I scored higher than my peers in reading.

I still read, but it has taken the form of social media which have no more length than a blurb.

[apparent]

It's not a hard and fast rule, for sure. But we have heard from many boy parents who wish their boys read more (or much at all). We, OTOH, have to tell our girls to put their books down and do something else from time to time.