Report
Young People and Gambling 2023: Official statistics
Gambling Commission report produced by Ipsos on young people and their gambling behaviour, attitudes and awareness in 2023.
Contents
- Executive summary
- Young people’s active involvement in gambling
- Experience of gambling
- The Impact of gambling on young people
- Online gambling
- National Lottery play
- Games and gaming machines
- The Context for gambling participation
- Attitudes towards and exposure to gambling
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- Summary
- Young people's views on gambling
- Feeling informed about gambling
- Being stopped from gambling
- Young people's exposure to gambling adverts and promotions and frequency of exposure
- Content of gambling adverts and promotions seen
- Whether ever prompted to gamble by adverts and promotions
- Following gambling companies on social media
- Appendices
- List of gambling activities and definitions
Overall gambling experience
In total, almost half (48 percent) of all 11 to 17 year olds have some experience of gambling, with two in five (40 percent) having experienced gambling in the last 12 months. This experience of gambling does not necessarily entail spending their own money. The proportion of young people who were actively involved with gambling (that is, spent their own money) in the last 12 months is 26 percent, decreasing to 13 percent in the last 4 weeks and 5 percent in the last seven days.
Experience of gambling within the last 12 months was more prevalent among those aged 11 to 13 years old (43 percent) than those aged 14 to 16 years old (37 percent), and 17 year olds (35 percent). Those who have experienced gambling in the last 12 months were also likely to be young people from white ethnic groups (42 percent) than young people from black and ethnic backgrounds (33 percent) and from Scotland than England or Wales (48 percent, compared to 39 percent and 34 percent). Those who had seen their family members gamble were also more likely to have experience of gambling in the last 12 months compared with those who had not (58 percent, compared to 42 percent), which could be a result of taking part in the gambling activity together.
Overall experience of gambling has seen a significant decrease in comparison to 2022, with a 10 percentage point decrease from 50 percent of young people who have had some experience of gambling over the last 12 months.
There has been a 7 percentage point decrease among those aged 11 to 13 years old, whose gambling was on par with those aged 14 to 16 years old in 2022 (both 50 percent), 14 to 16 year olds have since seen a decrease of 13 percentage points in experience of gambling. There continues to be a significant disparity between ethnic groups. Young people from white ethnic groups and those of black and ethnic minority backgrounds have each seen a decrease in comparison to 2022 in experience of gambling in the last 12 months (from 53 to 42 percent and 42 to 33 percent, respectively).
Figure 3: Wider experience and active involvement in gambling
Figure 3 information
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering (3,453).
Note: The chart shows results for different questions asked in the survey, so the responses shown will not add up to 100 percent.
| Wider experience and active involvement in gambling | Percentage (answers do not sum to 100 percent as chart shows more than one question) |
|---|---|
| Ever gambled | 48% |
| Gambled in last 12 months | 40% |
| Spent money on gambling in last 12 months | 26% |
| Spent money on gambling in last 4 weeks | 13% |
| Spent money on gambling in last 7 days | 5% |
Summary Next section
Overall gambling experience in the last 12 months
Last updated: 16 November 2023
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