Ben Affleck Reveals the Shocking Reason Teen Son Samuel Asked for $100
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s 13-year-old son Samuel is begging for $100 for an eyebrow-raising reason, and if you have teens you might want to pay attention.
In a new appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Argo star opened up about the newest teen trend his son is interested in, which could lend to a dangerous habit down the road: betting on sports! In the interview, Affleck began by sharing how his dad used to be “a small-time bookie.”
“I remember our first washing machine, our first VCR, in fact, dad coming home, like, ‘You can thank Steve Grogan for this,’” Affleck said, impersonating his dad. “He’s the quarterback of the [New England] Patriots. ‘Everybody keeps betting the Patriots to beat the spread.’ And so I really was grateful that the Patriots were terrible, to just thank Steve Grogan’s knees for our VCR.”
Host Jimmy Kimmel was surprised that Affleck’s dad would go around talking about this “At the time, it was, like, shameful and kind of illegal,” Ben responded. He jokingly added, “I mean, the statute of limitations has run out. Sorry, Dad!”
Now, his son thinks of sports betting as no big deal. “My son asked me like a month ago, ‘Hey, um, can I get like 100 bucks to bet on sports?’” Affleck, who also shares daughters Seraphina, 17, and Violet, 20, with Garner, said.
“It’s like, ‘What?’” Affleck continued, surprised.
Then Samuel tried to justify it by saying that his friends all do it. “My friends get $100, but if they lose it, then that’s it,” Ben recalled Samuel saying.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s a real standard, what discipline! Like, so that you don’t come twitching back, like going, ‘I know that Green Bay is going to cover the over in the second half.’”
Kimmel quipped, “Did you tell him to call grandpa?” making Affleck laugh.
“I was like, ‘There’s a reason your grandfather’s broke!’” he responded.
A 2023 study by the NCAA found that 67 percent of college students living on campus bet on sports. This data doesn’t change much based on areas where it is legal vs. illegal, as the NCAA reports that there is nearly the same rate of engagement in both.
Dr. Timothy Fong, codirector of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, told USA Today in 2025 that it’s easy for gambling to become an addiction in teens. “A [teenager’s] brain doesn’t have impulse control,” Dr. Fong said. “It doesn’t have the ability to recover from losses quickly. It knows, I want money, I want excitement, I want things that my friends have. I want to prove that I’m super cool to my friends.”
With sports betting legal in 40 states, with 32 states allowing mobile or online sports betting, it’s easier than ever to fall into this trap. Sure, it might start with just letting your kids borrow $100 to bet on a game with their friends, but it can quickly become an expensive and debilitating addiction that should not be taken lightly. Affleck jokes about it, but he knows the real threat gambling can have on someone’s life, and he’s not letting his son go down the same path if he can help it.
If you or someone you know needs help with a gambling addiction, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 800-GAMBLER.
Before you go, check out all the times Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck, and Jennifer Lopez were blended family goals.