Young People and Gambling 2026: Official statistics

Executive summary

Introduction

This report contains the findings from the Gambling Commission’s annual study, produced by Ipsos, exploring gambling behaviours among young people in Great Britain.

The survey examined young people’s involvement in gambling activities, including age-restricted products, where they gamble and with whom, their perceptions of gambling and awareness of gambling advertising. The survey also asked a series of questions relating to potential consequences associated with gambling and utilised the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) to classify young people with gambling problems.

The study collected data from a sample of 3,867 pupils in Years 7 to 12 (or Years S1 to S5 in Scotland) attending academies, maintained and independent schools in England, Scotland, and Wales. Fieldwork took place between 12 January 2026 and 12 June 2026. The survey asked about involvement with gambling in the past 7 days, 4 weeks and 12 months, with this report focusing on the past 12 months.

The research was conducted in schools, with pupils completing online self-completion surveys during class time. As the survey relies on young people's self-reported responses, findings should be interpreted in light of the strengths and limitations associated with self-reported behavioural data, which are discussed in the survey strengths and limitations section.

Further details of the methodology, sampling and weighting processes, quality assurance procedures, and sample profile are included in the Appendices.

Headlines

More than half of young people (55%) have some experience of gambling, with 45% having done so in the last 12 months. Arcade gaming machines, including penny pushers and claw grab machines, were the most popular form of gambling, played by 32% of young people in the last 12 months.

Focusing on young people gambling with their own money, around 1 in 4 (26%) reported doing so in the last 12 months. Participation was more common in non-age-restricted gambling activities (24%) than age-restricted gambling activities (5%), with play on arcade gaming machines the most common activity involving young people's own money (19%). The primary motivation for gambling among young people remains that they find it 'fun', cited by 78% of those who had spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months.

Analysis of trends in youth gambling between 2022 and 2026 indicates an overall decline in participation, although there were variations across intervening years. The proportion of young people who have ever experienced gambling fell from 60% in 2022 to 55% in 2026, while active involvement declined from 31% to 26% over the same period. Problem gambling, as measured by the youth-adapted problem gambling screen (DSM-IV-MR-J), has remained relatively stable since 2022, with 0.9% scoring 4 or more, 2.0% scoring 2 or 3, and 23.1% scoring 0 or 1 in 2026.

Among young people who have experienced gambling, 73% reported gambling with a parent, carer or guardian. A small minority (8%) gamble alone while 17% of those who have ever gambled reported being stopped because they were underage. Around one-third (35%) of young people reported having seen a family member they live with gamble, and these young people were consistently more likely to participate in gambling activities themselves.

Exposure to gambling advertising remains widespread. Almost 9 in 10 young people (89%) recalled seeing or hearing gambling advertising or promotions in the last year. Young people were most likely to report seeing gambling advertisements at least weekly on social media (55%), live streaming or video sharing platforms (53%), television (52%) and apps (51%). Boys were more likely than girls to report seeing gambling adverts across a range of platforms, including live streaming or video sharing platforms (57%, compared with 39%) and at sports events (61%, compared with 42%).

The 2026 survey found that 15% of young people followed gambling-related content on social media or streaming platforms. Among these young people, 38% reported that influencers, creators or streamers they followed had advertised gambling-related content to them. Of young people who had seen gambling advertising, 1 in 10 (10%) reported that it had prompted them to spend money on gambling when they were not otherwise planning to do so. However, some of these respondents did not report gambling participation elsewhere in the survey, highlighting a finding explored further in the report.

The survey also continued to explore the relationship between gambling and gaming. Awareness of in-game purchasing features was widespread, with 82% of young people aware of at least one type of in-game item activity. Among those aware of these activities, 84% had used at least one. Across all young people aged 11 to 17, 22% reported opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes using their own money.

Most young people (81%) felt well informed about the risks associated with gambling, while around two-thirds (68%) reported that someone had spoken to them about the potential problems gambling can lead to. The most common reasons for not gambling were a lack of interest (44%) and being too young or gambling being illegal for their age (40%).

Around 3 in 10 (29%) young people consider themselves risk-takers, with boys and older teenagers more likely to identify with this description. Notably, 38% of those spending their own money on gambling consider themselves risk-takers, significantly higher than the overall average. Alongside gambling, young people also engaged in other risk-taking behaviours during the last 12 months, including alcohol consumption (31%), vaping (11%), smoking tobacco cigarettes (6%) and taking illegal drugs (5%).

Survey strengths and limitations

The findings in this report should be interpreted in light of the study’s strengths and limitations, as outlined on this page.

A major strength of the survey is the combination of a large, nationally representative sample and a methodology that has remained broadly consistent for approaching a decade. This consistency enhances the comparability of findings across survey waves and provides a strong basis for monitoring long-term trends among young people. However, the findings do not represent all young people aged 11 to 17 years, for example those who are not in mainstream education, those who chose not to participate and those who were absent on the day of the survey.

The online self-completion approach allows pupils to answer questions privately, without having to disclose potentially sensitive behaviours directly to an interviewer or teacher. This is intended to reduce social desirability pressures and encourage more candid responses. Pupils were also instructed to complete the survey independently and in silence, helping to reduce the potential for answers to be influenced by their peers. However, all findings remain based on self-reported responses and may be affected by factors such as recall error, misunderstanding of questions, different interpretations of gambling-related terminology, exaggeration or a reluctance to disclose certain behaviours.

As with all self-completion approaches respondents may provide answers that appear surprising, inconsistent or unlikely. For this survey, quality-assurance checks were undertaken at the sample-preparation, fieldwork and data-preparation stages to identify potential errors, incomplete responses and evidence that a respondent may not have engaged fully with the survey, including cases where reported gambling behaviour formed part of a wider pattern of responses indicating potential data quality concerns. Where responses did not meet the agreed quality assurance criteria, they were removed from the final dataset.

Potential data-quality concerns were considered across responses as a whole rather than on the basis of a single answer, as it is not possible to independently verify each young person’s responses. The findings should therefore be understood as estimates of young people’s reported experiences and behaviours rather than independently verified measures of their activity. Further information about the quality-assurance procedures is provided in the Appendices.

The study uses a detailed and largely consistent questionnaire, including the recognised youth-adapted problem gambling screen (DSM-IV-MR-J) screening instrument. Its repeated design provides a valuable time series through which changes in young people’s reported gambling experiences and behaviours can be monitored. However, changes to the questionnaire, response options, sample coverage or survey context can affect comparability between years. Where a measure is not directly comparable with previous surveys, this is explained in the relevant section of the report.

The DSM-IV-MR-J classification is derived from young people’s self-reported responses to a screening instrument. It is not a clinical diagnosis nor should it be confused with a measure of addiction, and young people within the same scoring category may differ in the frequency and nature of their gambling and the severity of the problems they report. Findings relating to these categories should therefore be considered alongside information about gambling participation and other contextual measures.

The results presented are estimates rather than exact measures and are subject to sampling variation. Although the large overall sample provides a robust basis for reporting findings for the survey population, estimates for smaller groups of respondents are associated with greater uncertainty. An unusual response has a greater influence on an estimate based on a small number of respondents than on an estimate based on the full sample. Estimates based on small groups are also likely to have wider confidence intervals and may vary more between survey years. Small differences involving these groups should not therefore be interpreted as firm evidence of a meaningful difference or change.

The survey can identify patterns and associations within the data but cannot establish cause-and-effect relationships. Any relationships discussed should therefore not be interpreted as evidence of causality. This applies particularly to findings about gambling advertising and promotions. Reports of being prompted to spend reflect young people’s perceptions and recollections, but do not establish that spending subsequently occurred or that exposure to advertising caused gambling behaviour.

The survey provides one source of evidence about young people’s gambling experiences, behaviours and attitudes. The results should be considered alongside other research, qualitative evidence, administrative data and relevant contextual information when informing policy or practice. Further information on the methodology, weighting, quality assurance and statistical significance testing is provided in the Appendices.

Presentation and interpretation of data

The survey data reported here has been weighted to ensure the findings are representative of young people in eligible secondary schools and colleges in England, Scotland and Wales. Applying weights to the data, while tending to make the quoted figures more representative of the population of interest, also reduces the statistical reliability of the data. As noted previously, results from any survey are estimates, and there is a margin of error associated with each figure quoted. Essentially, the smaller the sample size, the greater the uncertainty.

Unless otherwise stated, differences reported between subgroups are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level and are based on sufficient sample sizes. Small differences that fall within the margin of error are reported as showing 'no significant difference'.

When different response categories are combined (for example 'strongly agree' and 'agree') then the combined figure may sometimes differ slightly from the total that would be obtained by summing the 2 separate percentage figures. This is due to the rounding of figures to the nearest whole number.

Subgroup findings based on fewer than 50 respondents are not generally reported. Where findings based on small groups are included because they are important to understanding the results, the relevant bases and limitations are identified. Statistical significance testing can help determine whether an observed difference is unlikely to be due to sampling variation, but it does not remove the additional uncertainty associated with a small base or establish that the relationship is causal.

Findings based on small sample sizes should be treated as indicative and should not be over-interpreted or used to draw strong conclusions about the wider population. Particular caution should be exercised when grossing up such findings to estimate the number of young people in the wider population, as grossing up does not reduce the statistical uncertainty associated with the original survey estimate. A wide confidence interval around a percentage will translate into a potentially wide range around the corresponding population estimate. Grossed-up figures based on small samples should therefore be presented as estimates, alongside their confidence intervals and unweighted bases, rather than being interpreted as precise counts of young people. When interpreting survey findings, users should consider the size and context of an estimate, as well as whether any differences are statistically significant.

The annual survey datasets are designed to support comparisons between separately weighted estimates for each survey year. As each dataset has been weighted independently to reflect the population and survey design applicable to that year, no common weighting variable is available to produce representative estimates from an aggregated, multi-year dataset. Combining the datasets without developing and validating an appropriate pooled weighting approach could give disproportionate influence to particular years and produce estimates that do not represent a clearly defined population. Trends should therefore be examined using the separately weighted annual estimates presented in the report.

Care is also required when interpreting changes over time. Changes to the questionnaire, response options, survey context or eligible sample can affect comparability. In particular, the survey sample was broadened from 2023 to include Year 12 pupils, extending coverage to 17 year olds, and independent schools. Some differences between the 2022 survey and surveys conducted from 2023 onwards may therefore reflect changes in the composition and coverage of the sample, as well as underlying changes in young people’s attitudes and behaviours. Where a measure is not directly comparable with previous years, this is stated in the relevant section and a trend comparison is not presented. Further information about the interpretation of trends is provided in the trends in gambling behaviours: 2022 to 2026 section.

Key terms used in the report

We have 2 possible ways of interpreting gambling behaviour which are referenced throughout this report:

1. Active involvement in gambling - Young people who spent their own money (defined as any pocket money, birthday money or money they earned themselves) on gambling.

2. Experience of gambling - Young people who have gambled but not necessarily spending their own money on doing so. For example, they may have been involved in picking lottery numbers with family and/or friends or choosing horses in a horse race.

Age restricted gambling - Gambling activities that are licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission and designed to ensure that those under 18 cannot participate. These activities include betting or casino gaming provided by a licensed operator online or from premises, playing National Lottery products or other lottery products, and playing gaming machines in betting shops.

Non-age restricted forms of gambling - This category covers gambling activities that fall outside the Commission's remit, such as non-commercial gambling between friends and family and bingo played somewhere other than a bingo club. It also includes gaming machines that can legally be used by children and young people under 18. The only exception within this category is bingo played somewhere other than a bingo club. Most instances are not age restricted; however, where bingo is played for money, it becomes age restricted.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) is a youth-adapted screening instrument used to assess whether young people who gamble report behaviours associated with experiencing problems with their gambling. These behaviours include needing to gamble with more money to get the amount of excitement you want, spending more on gambling than you planned to or taking dinner money or fare money without permission to spend on gambling. The classification is based on self-reported responses to the screening questions and is not a clinical diagnosis nor should it be confused with a measure of addiction. The DSM-IV-MR-J is not directly comparable with adult problem gambling screens, including the Problem Gambling Severity Index, or with the adult equivalent of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), because these measures use different questions and scoring approaches. Scores are then grouped into these categories:

• young people who have never gambled
• young people scoring 0 or 1 on the DSM-IV-MR-J, representing a young person who does not experience any ‘problems’ with their gambling
• young people scoring 2 or 3 on the DSM-IV-MR-J, representing a young person who is ‘at risk’
• young people scoring 4 or more on the DSM-IV-MR-J, representing a young person experiencing ‘problems’ with their gambling.

Gaming - Although the Commission does not regulate gaming, there has been a convergence of gaming and gambling over time, with games now including features which are akin to gambling. These include outcomes or rewards in online gaming, such as loot boxes and monetised in-game items, including skins. This survey explores young people’s awareness and engagement with gaming activities to provide insight into the link between gaming and gambling.

For further information on terms used throughout this report and their definitions see the Appendices.

Acknowledgements

We are indebted to all pupils and school staff who made this survey possible during a time when schools are managing heavy workloads. Without their support, this survey would not have been possible.

Wider experience of gambling

Summary

This section explores young people’s wider experience of gambling, covering the types of gambling activities they have engaged in, regardless of whether they were spending their own money, who they were with when they were gambling, as well as how gambling activities compare in relation to other high-risk activities that young people engage in.

Where possible, findings are compared with the 2025 survey to identify changes over time.

In total, just over half (55%) of 11 to 17 year olds had some experience of gambling, with 45% having taken part in at least one gambling activity in the last 12 months.

Play on games and gaming machines was the most prevalent gambling activity. Among them, arcade gaming machines, such as penny pushers or claw grab machines, were the most frequently played, with 32% of young people having participated in such activities within the 12 months.

When engaging in gambling activities, most young people were with a parent, carer or guardian (73%). Around 2 in 5 (38%) were with a friend aged 17 or younger, while less than 1 in 10 (8%) reported gambling alone.

Of those who had ever experienced gambling, 17% reported having been stopped because they were too young.

The survey captures young people’s self-reported involvement in a range of activities that they like to do in their spare time; the most popular activities were listening to music (42%), playing games on a phone, tablet, laptop or console (41%), meeting up with friends (38%), and taking part in sports or exercise (38%).

The survey also measured young people’s self-reported involvement in a range of other risk-taking behaviours. Around 3 in 10 (31%) had drunk alcohol in the past 12 months, 11% had used an e-cigarette or vape, 6% had smoked a tobacco cigarette, and 5% had taken illegal drugs (including cannabis).

Definitions

Experience of gambling

Young people were asked whether they have engaged in any of 17 different gambling activities which, for analysis purposes, are grouped within the following 5 categories:

Lotteries or lottery style games

Includes:

• National Lottery draws (for example Lotto, EuroMillions or Set for Life) either with a physical ticket or playing online
• National Lottery Scratchcards (not free Scratchcards)
• National Lottery online instant win games
• other lotteries (for example The Health Lottery, People’s Postcode Lottery, or other smaller lotteries).

Games and gaming machines

Includes:

• arcade gaming machines (for example penny pusher or claw grab machine)
• fruit or slot machines (for example at an arcade, pub or social club)
• gambling machines in a betting shop
• cards for money (for example with friends or family).

Bingo

Includes:

• bingo at a bingo club
• bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club (for example social club or holiday park)
• bingo online (for example Foxy Bingo, Gala Bingo or Tombola).

Placing a bet

Includes activities such as:

• placing a bet for money between friends or family
• placing a bet on eSports (electronic sports such as playing video games competitively) online
• placing a bet at a betting shop or bookies (for example on football or horse racing)
• placing a bet on a betting website and/or app (for example on football or horse racing).

Casino games

Includes:

• playing a game inside a casino in real life, not online
• playing an online game on a casino website (for example online poker or online roulette for money).

In 2025 the wording used to describe casino games was updated to clarify the difference between playing a game inside a casino in real life and playing an online game on a casino website.

Wider experience and active involvement in gambling

Just over half (55%) of 11 to 17 year olds have some experience of gambling, with 45% having taken part in at least one gambling activity in the last 12 months. This experience of gambling does not necessarily involve spending their own money. The overall proportion of young people who were actively involved with gambling (such as spent their own money on it) within the last 12 months was 26%, decreasing to 12% within the last 4 weeks, and to 5% within the last 7 days.

Figure 1.1: Wider experience and active involvement in gambling

Figure 1.1 information

Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering 2026 (3,867).
Note: the chart and table show results for different questions asked in the survey, so the responses shown will not add up to 100%.

Wider experience and active involvement in gambling

Wider experience and active involvement in gambling	2026 (percentage) (results for different questions asked in survey therefore answers will not add up to 100%)
Ever experienced gambling	55%
Experienced gambling in the last 12 months	45%
Spent money on gambling in last 12 months	26%
Spent money on gambling in last 4 weeks	12%
Spent money on gambling in last 7 days	5%

There were no differences in gambling participation within the last 12 months by gender or age. However, young people from white ethnic groups were more likely to have gambled than those young people from ethnic minority groups (48%, compared with 39%). Those who had seen their family members gamble were also more likely to have gambled in the last 12 months, compared with those who had not (55%, compared with 42%). Similarly, young people who considered themselves to be risk-takers were more likely to have gambled in the last 12 months, compared with those who did not consider themselves to be a risk-taker (53%, compared with 40%).

There was a significant decline in gambling experience and participation between 2025 and 2026. Compared with 2025, the proportion of young people who have some experience of gambling has decreased from 59% to 55% in 2026. There has also been a decrease in the proportion who had experienced gambling in the last 12 months, falling from 49% in 2025 to 45% in 2026.

The levels of active involvement in gambling within the last 12 months has also declined. The proportion of young people who spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months decreased from 30% in 2025 to 26% in 2026, while the proportion who had spent money on gambling in the previous 4 weeks fell from 16% to 12%. However, active involvement in gambling within the last 7 days remained at a low level, with no significant difference between 2025 (6%) and 2026 (5%).

Table 1.1: Wider experience and active involvement in gambling 2025 to 2026

Base: All answering 2025 (3,666), 2026 (3,867).
Note: The table shows results for different questions asked in the survey, so the responses shown will not add up to 100%.

Table 1.1: Wider experience and active involvement in gambling 2025 to 2026

Wider experience and active involvement in gambling in 2025 and 2026	2025 (percentage) (answers do not sum to 100% as chart shows more than one question)	2026 (percentage) (answers do not sum to 100% as chart shows more than one question)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Ever experienced gambling	59%	55%	Significant decrease
Experienced gambling in last 12 months	49%	45%	Significant decrease
Spent money on gambling in last 12 months	30%	26%	Significant decrease
Spent money on gambling in last 4 weeks	16%	12%	Significant decrease
Spent money on gambling last 7 days	6%	5%	No significant difference

Experience of different categories of gambling activities

Young people were shown a list of gambling activities and asked if they had taken part in any during the last 12 months. The activities have been grouped into categories for analysis purposes (see definitions at the beginning of the chapter).

The type of gambling that young people were most likely to have experience of was playing games and gaming machines, with around a third (35%) having done so within the past 12 months. This was followed by placing a bet (17%), playing bingo (11%), playing lotteries or lottery style games (10%), and playing casino games (3%).

Looking at these broad categories of gambling activities, there were notable variations by gender:

• girls were more likely than boys to have played bingo (12%, compared with 9%)
• boys were also more likely than girls to have placed a bet (19%, compared with 16%)
• boys were also more likely than girls to have played a casino game (5%, compared with 1%); typically, online.

In terms of differences by age, 14 to 17 year olds were more likely than 11 to 13 year olds to have placed a bet (20%, compared with 14%), played lotteries or lottery style games (11%, compared with 8%) and played casino games (4%, compared with 2%).

Young people from white ethnic groups were more likely than those from ethnic minority backgrounds to have experience of gambling activities which fall into the categories of games and gaming machines, bingo and lotteries or lottery style games. Young people who have seen a family member gamble and those who consider themselves to be risk-takers were more likely to have experience of all categories of gambling activities.

Figure 1.2: Experience of gambling activities, by category, within the past 12 months

Figure 1.2 information

GC_GAMSPENDWHEN. When did you last do this activity? Was it...? Summary of gambling in last 7 days, 4 weeks or 12 months.
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering 2026 (3,867).
Note: This is a multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Experience of gambling activities, by category, in the last 12 months

Experience of gambling activities, by category, in the last 12 months	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)
Games and gaming machines	35%
Placing a bet	17%
Bingo	11%
Lotteries or lottery style games	10%
Casino games	3%

Compared with 2025, the proportion of young people who had engaged in gambling through games and gaming machines decreased from 39% to 35% in 2026. There were also declines in the proportion who had placed a bet (from 22% to 17%) and played bingo (from 13% to 11%).

By contrast, participation in lotteries or lottery-style games remained stable (9% in 2025 and 10% in 2026), while experience of casino games was unchanged at 3%. The decrease in participation across games and gaming machines, betting and bingo is consistent with the overall reduction in gambling participation observed in 2026. See Table 1.2 for more information.

Table 1.2: Experience of gambling activities by category 2025 to 2026

GC_GAMSPENDWHEN. When did you last do this activity? Was it...? Summary of gambling in last 7 days, 4 weeks or 12 months.
Base: All answering 2025 (3,666), 2026 (3,867).
Note: This is a multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Table 1.2: Experience of gambling activities by category 2025 to 2026

Experience of gambling activities, by category, in the last 12 months in 2025 and 2026	2025 (percentage) (multiple response question, therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)	2026 (percentage) (multiple response question, therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Games and gaming machines	39%	35%	Significant decrease
Placing a bet	22%	17%	Significant decrease
Bingo	13%	11%	Significant decrease
Lotteries or lottery style games	9%	10%	No significant difference
Casino games	3%	3%	No significant difference

Experience of different types of gambling activities

Each category of gambling had individual activities listed within it (see definitions at the beginning of the chapter). Across all gambling activities, playing arcade gaming machines (for example, penny pushers and claw grab machines) was by far the most prevalent, with 32% of young people having played them within the last 12 months.

The next most common activities were placing a bet for money between friends or family (15%), playing bingo somewhere other than a bingo club (8%), playing cards for money (8%), and purchasing National Lottery Scratchcards (8%). Fewer young people reported playing fruit or slot machines (5%). National Lottery draws, placing a bet on a betting website or app, and playing an online game on a casino website were each reported by 3% of young people, while 2% reported playing bingo at a bingo club.

Focusing on the most common activity, arcade gaming machines, participation was higher among the following groups:

• those who had previously seen family members gamble (37%) and those who consider themselves to be risk-takers (36%)
• those from white ethnic groups (35%, compared with 28% of young people from ethnic minority groups)
• younger pupils, specifically 13 year olds (36%, compared with 32% overall).

Figure 1.3: Experience in gambling activities in the last 12 months, top 10 individual activities

Figure 1.3 information

GC_GAMSPENDWHEN. Have you ever done any of the following activities? When did you last do this activity? Was it in the last 12 months?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering 2026 (3,867).
Note: this is a multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Experience in gambling activities in the last 12 months, top 10 individual activities

Experience in gambling activities in the last 12 months, top 10 individual activities	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)
Played arcade gaming machines	32%
Placed a bet for money between friends or family	15%
Played bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club	8%
Played cards for money	8%
National Lottery scratchcards	8%
Played fruit or slot machines	5%
National Lottery draw	3%
Placed a bet on a betting website and/or app	3%
Played an online game on a casino website	3%
Played bingo at a bingo club	2%

The overall decline in gambling participation between 2025 and 2026 was reflected across several individual gambling activities, with notable changes in the proportion of young people who had played arcade gaming machines, decreasing from 35% in 2025 to 32% in 2026 and the proportion who had placed a bet for money between friends or family, falling from 19% to 15%.

Smaller decreases were observed in the proportion who had played bingo somewhere other than a bingo club (10% to 8%) and played fruit or slot machines (7% to 5%). Participation in all other activities remained broadly stable between 2025 and 2026, as illustrated in Table 1.3.

Table 1.3: Experience of gambling activities 2025 to 2026

GC_GAMSPEND. Have you ever done any of the following activities?
Base: All answering 2025 (3,666), 2026 (3,867).
Note: This is a multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Table 1.3: Experience of gambling activities 2025 to 2026

Experience in gambling activities in the last 12 months, top 10 individual activities in 2025 and 2026	2025 (percentage) (multiple response question, therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)	2026 (percentage) (multiple response question, therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Played arcade gaming machines	35%	32%	Significant decrease
Placed a bet for money between friends or family	19%	15%	Significant decrease
Played bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club	10%	8%	Significant decrease
Played cards for money	9%	8%	No significant difference
National Lottery scratchcards	7%	8%	No significant difference
Played fruit or slot machines	7%	5%	Significant decrease
National Lottery draw	3%	3%	No significant difference
Placed a bet on a betting website and/or app	3%	3%	No significant difference
Played an online game on a casino website	3%	3%	No significant difference
Played bingo at a bingo club	2%	2%	No significant difference

Who young people were with when they experienced gambling

Gambling was typically a social activity, with fewer than 1 in 10 young people (8%) reporting that they were alone the last time they experienced gambling. Most were with a parent, carer or guardian (73%), while 38% were with a friend aged 17 or younger. Around a quarter (24%) were with a brother or sister aged 17 or younger and 14% were with a brother or sister aged 18 or older.

Figure 1.4: Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities

Figure 1.4 information

GAMSPEND2. Last time you did [this activity and/or these activities] who were you with?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds who selected any activity 1 to 17 at GAMSPEND 2026 (2,491).
Note: this is a multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities

Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)
Parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s)	73%
Friend(s) aged 17 or younger	38%
Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 17 or younger	24%
Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 18 or older	14%
I was alone	8%
Friend(s) aged 18 or older	6%
Others	9%
Do not know	6%

The pattern of who young people were with when they last gambled is broadly similar to that reported in 2025. There were no significant changes in the proportion who gambled with parents, carers or guardians, friends, or siblings. The proportion of young people who reported gambling alone also remained at 8% in 2026, continuing the decrease observed between 2024 (10%) and 2025 (8%). Overall, the findings suggest that young people's gambling experiences continue to take place predominantly in social settings, particularly with parents, carers or guardians and friends of a similar age.

Table 1.4: Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities 2025 to 2026

GAMSPEND2. Last time you did [this activity and/or these activities] who were you with?
Base: All answering who selected any activity 1 to 17 at GAMSPEND 2025 (2,542), 2026 (2,491)
Note: This is a multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Table 1.4: Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities 2025 to 2026

Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities in 2025 and 2026	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s)	75%	73%	No significant difference
Friend(s) aged 17 or younger	40%	38%	No significant difference
Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 17 or younger	26%	24%	No significant difference
Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 18 or older	15%	14%	No significant difference
I was alone	8%	8%	No significant difference
Friend(s) aged 18 or older	6%	6%	No significant difference
Others	9%	9%	No significant difference
Do not know	6%	6%	No significant difference

Being stopped from gambling for being too young

All young people, regardless of gambling experience, were asked whether they had ever been stopped from gambling because they were too young. Excluding those young people who noted they had never tried to gamble, 17% overall reported having been stopped from gambling because they were too young.

Boys were more likely than girls to report having been stopped from gambling because they were too young (22%, compared with 10%). This pattern was evident both for gambling online (12% of boys, compared with 4% of girls) and for gambling in a premises such as a shop, betting shop or arcade (13%, compared with 7%).

Responses were broadly consistent by age. However, 14 to 17 year olds were more likely than 11 to 13 year olds to report that they had never been stopped from gambling (47%, compared with 38%). This may reflect the fact that older young people may be less likely to have their gambling activity challenged.

Young people who considered themselves to be risk-takers were more likely to report having been stopped from gambling because they were too young (24%, compared with 14% of those who are not risk-takers). This difference was particularly evident for online gambling, where 14% of risk-takers reported having been stopped, compared with 4% of those who did not consider themselves to be risk-taker.

Figure 1.5: Being stopped from gambling for money due to being too young within the past 12 months

Figure 1.5 information

GC_STOPPED. Thinking about gambling for money, have you ever been stopped from gambling because you were too young?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering 2026 (1,093).

Being stopped from gambling for money due to being too young

Being stopped from gambling due to being too young	2026 (percentage)
Yes	17%
No, I have never been stopped	44%
Do not know	39%

The proportion of young people that had been stopped from gambling for money because they were too young increased from 13% in 2025 to 17% in 2026. However, as there was no significant change in the proportion reporting that they had never been stopped, this finding should be interpreted with caution. While it may suggest some increase in age-related enforcement or intervention, it does not indicate a clear shift in experiences.

Table 1.5: Being stopped from gambling for money due to being too young 2025 to 2026

GC_STOPPED. Thinking about gambling for money, have you ever been stopped from gambling because you were too young?
Base: All answering who did not say they had never tried to gamble 2025 (1,098), 2026 (1,093).

Table 1.5: Being stopped from gambling for money due to being too young 2025 to 2026

Being stopped from gambling due to being too young, 2025 and 2026	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Yes	13%	17%	Significant increase
No, I have never been stopped	48%	44%	No significant difference
Do not know	39%	39%	No significant difference

Gambling in the context of young people’s spare time activities

The survey also explores young people’s self-reported involvement in various leisure activities, allowing for a comparison between trends in gambling activities and recreational pursuits.

As shown in Table 1.6, the most popular activities were listening to music (42%), playing games on a phone, tablet, laptop or console (41%), meeting up with friends (38%), and taking part in sports or exercise (38%). Other popular leisure activities included watching programmes on television or through streaming services (29%), spending time with family (28%), and chatting with friends on the phone or online through social media (27%).

For context, 45% of young people experienced gambling in the last 12 months, while 26% reported active involvement in gambling through spending their own money. Compared with the leisure activities shown in Table 1.6, active involvement in gambling was reported at a lower level than popular activities such as listening to music, playing games on a device, meeting up with friends and taking part in sport or exercise. These comparisons should be interpreted with caution. The measure of gambling participation is derived from a detailed series of questions designed to capture a range of gambling behaviours, while participation in leisure activities was assessed using a single question. As a result, differences may reflect methodological differences in how activities were measured, as well as differences in actual participation.

Table 1.6: Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months 2026

GC_SPARE. In your spare time, what are the things that you like to do most?
Base: All answering (3,804).

Table 1.6: Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months 2026

Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months in 2026	2026 (percentage)
Listening to music	42%
Playing games on my phone, iPad, laptop or on a console (for example, Play Station, Nintendo Switch)	41%
Meeting up with friends	38%
Taking part in sports (for example football, netball, swimming, gymnastics) and/or exercising (for example gym, workout classes, walking, hiking)	38%
Watching programmes on TV or through streaming services	29%
Spending time with my family	28%
Chatting on the phone with my friends and/or spending time online with friends on social media	27%
Shopping	12%
Reading (books or magazines)	11%
Cooking	8%
Going to the cinema, theatre or concerts	6%
Taking part in fantasy football leagues	3%

There were notable differences by gender:

• boys were more likely to play games on a device (58%), take part in fantasy football leagues (5%) and play sports (48%)
• girls were more likely to meet up with friends (44%), chat on the phone with friends and/or spend time online with friends on social media (30%), listen to music (49%), read books (14%), cook (10%), go shopping (22%), and go to the cinema, theatre or concerts (8%).

There were also differences by age with 11 to 13 year olds more likely to play games on their device (45%, compared with 38% of 14 to 17 year olds), take part in fantasy football leagues (4%, compared with 2%) and spend time with family (32%, compared with 24%). Older groups were more likely to listen to music (46% of 14 to 17 year olds compared with 36% of 11 to 13 year olds).

As shown in Table 1.7, there were several changes in the leisure activities that young people reported enjoying most in their spare time. The proportion who reported listening to music increased from 39% in 2025 to 42% in 2026, while the proportion who reported watching programmes on television or through streaming services increased from 21% to 29%.

Over the same period, there were decreases in the proportion who reported spending time with their family (32% in 2025 and 28% in 2026), shopping (16% and 12% respectively), and cooking (10% and 8% respectively). There were no significant changes in the proportion who reported playing games on a device, meeting up with friends, taking part in sports or exercise, chatting with friends by phone or on social media, reading, or going to the cinema, theatre or concerts.

Table 1.7: Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months 2025 to 2026

GC_SPARE. In your spare time, what are the things that you like to do most?
Base: All answering 2025 (3,603) 2026 (3,804).

Table 1.7: Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months 2025 to 2026

Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months, 2025 to 2026	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Listening to music	39%	42%	Significant increase
Playing games on my phone, iPad, laptop or on a console (for example, Play Station, Nintendo Switch)	39%	41%	No significant difference
Meeting up with friends	40%	38%	No significant difference
Taking part in sports (for example football, netball, swimming, gymnastics) and/or exercising (for example gym, workout classes, walking, hiking)	40%	38%	No significant difference
Watching programmes on TV or through streaming services	21%	29%	Significant increase
Spending time with my family	32%	28%	Significant decrease
Chatting on the phone with my friends and/or spending time online with friends on social media	28%	27%	No significant difference
Shopping	16%	12%	Significant decrease
Reading (books or magazines)	10%	11%	No significant difference
Cooking	10%	8%	Significant decrease
Going to the cinema, theatre or concerts	5%	6%	No significant difference
Taking part in fantasy football leagues	2%	3%	Significant increase

Gambling in the context of other risk-taking behaviours

The survey also measures young people’s self-reported involvement in other risk-taking behaviours, such as smoking, drinking, and drug taking, to set gambling participation in context.

Among the behaviours measured, levels of participation varied considerably. Around a third (31%) of young people reported having drunk alcohol in the past 12 months. This is followed by 11% who vaped, 6% who smoked, and 5% who took illegal drugs (including cannabis). While 45% reported some experience of gambling in the last year, around half of this proportion (26%) reported active involvement through spending their own money.

These comparisons should be interpreted with caution. Gambling participation is derived from a detailed series of questions covering 17 different activities, whereas each of the other risk-taking behaviours was measured through a single question. Differences between the reported percentages may therefore reflect how the behaviours were measured, as well as differences in young people’s participation. However, the findings are broadly consistent with other national surveys of young people.

Figure 1.6: Risk-taking behaviours in the past 12 months

Figure 1.6 information

GC_ACTIVITY: Please look at the list below and for each activity, select when, if ever, you have done this.
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have drunk alcoholic drink 2026 (3,662), used an e-cigarette and/or vape 2026 (3,678), smoked tobacco cigarette 2026 (3,717), taken illegal drugs 2026 (3,711).
GAMSPEND4. And when did you last spend money on [this activity and/or these activities]? Was it...?
GC_GAMSPENDWHEN. When did you last do this activity? Was it...? Summary of gambling in last 7 days, 4 weeks or 12 months.
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering 2026 (3,867).

Risk-taking behaviours in the past 12 months

Risk-taking behaviours in the past 12 months	2026 (percentage)
Experienced gambling in the last 12 months	45%
Drunk an alcoholic drink	31%
Active involvement in gambling	26%
Used an e-cigarette and/or vape	11%
Smoked a tobacco cigarette	6%
Taken illegal drugs (including cannabis)	5%

Broadly speaking young people who report participation in each of these risk-taking behaviours were from the older age groups, consider themselves a risk-taker, and were from white ethnic backgrounds, which aligns with the findings for gambling participation.

Looking at this in more detail, there were higher levels of drinking and vaping among young people who have actively gambled. Overall, 31% of 11 to 17 years old have drunk an alcoholic drink in the last 12 months, increasing to 40% of young people who gambled with their own money in the 12 months prior to the survey. Similarly, the rates of vaping were higher for those who gambled with their own money in the same period (15%, compared with 11% of the total sample).

The data suggests a similar pattern for other risk-taking behaviours, although the differences were marginal, with young people who had actively gambled in the previous 12 months more likely to have taken illegal drugs (8%, compared with 5% overall) and to have smoked a tobacco cigarette (9%, compared with 6% overall).

As shown in Table 1.8, levels of risk-taking behaviours were broadly similar in 2025 and 2026, although some small but statistically significant differences were observed. The proportion of young people who reported drinking alcohol in the previous 12 months fell from 34% in 2025 to 31% in 2026, while the proportion reporting use of an e-cigarette or vape decreased from 13% to 11%. There was no significant change in the proportion who reported smoking tobacco or taking illegal drugs. Overall, the findings indicate a largely stable picture of risk-taking behaviours among young people, against the backdrop of the decrease in gambling participation.

Table 1.8: Risk-taking behaviours in the past 12 months: 2025 to 2026

GC_ACTIVITY. Please look at the following list and for each activity, select when, if ever, you have done this.
Base: All answering who have drunk alcoholic drink 2025 (3,152), 2026 (3,622), used an e-cigarette and/or vape 2025 (3,503), 2026 (3,678), smoked a tobacco cigarette 2025 (3,533), 2026 (3,717), taken illegal drugs 2025 (3,534), 2026 (3,711).
GC_GAMSPENDWHEN. When did you last do this activity? Was it...? Summary of gambling in last 7 days, 4 weeks or 12 months.
GAMSPEND4. And when did you last spend money on [this activity and/or these activities]? Was it...?
Base: All answering 2025 (3,666), 2026 (3,867).

Table 1.8: Risk-taking behaviours in the past 12 months 2025 to 2026

Risk-taking behaviours in the past 12 months in 2025 and 2026	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Experienced gambling in the last 12 months	49%	45%	Significant decrease
Drunk an alcoholic drink	34%	31%	Significant decrease
Active involvement in gambling	30%	26%	Significant decrease
Used an e-cigarette and/or vape	13%	11%	Significant decrease
Smoked a tobacco cigarette	5%	6%	No significant difference
Taken illegal drugs (including cannabis)	5%	5%	No significant difference

Active involvement in gambling and experience of problem gambling

Summary

This section of the report covers young people’s active involvement in gambling, based on self-reported experiences of spending their own money on gambling activities in the past 12 months. It includes analysis of the demographic profile of those who reported gambling with their own money and explores why young people gamble.

This section also reports on the proportion of individuals who based on their behaviours and actions are identified as young people with gambling problems, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) screen.

Around a quarter of young people (26%) gambled using their own money in the 12 months preceding the survey, a decrease from 30% in 2025. Participation was higher for non-age-restricted gambling activities than for age-restricted forms of gambling (24%, compared with 5%).

Arcade gaming machines remained the most common gambling activity involving young people's own money, with 19% having participated in the past year. Other commonly reported activities included betting for money with friends or family (11%) and playing cards for money (5%).

The primary motivating factor for young people to gamble remained enjoyment, with 78% of those who spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months saying they did so because it was fun. Other common motivations included feeling they had a good chance of winning something (35%) and because the games were simple to play (30%) and trying to win money (29%).

The youth-adapted problem gambling screen (DSM-IV-MR-J) classified 0.9% of young people as scoring 4 or more, 2.0% as scoring 2 or 3, and 23.1% as scoring 0 or 1. While there was no significant change in the proportion scoring 4 or more, or 2 to 3, the proportion who had never gambled increased from 69.6% in 2025 to 74.0% in 2026, indicating a decline in gambling participation alongside stable levels of higher-risk gambling behaviour.

Definitions

Active involvement in gambling

Young people who participated in the survey were first asked if they had ever done any of the following list of 17 activities:

• National Lottery draw, for example Lotto, EuroMillions or Set for Life, either with a physical ticket or playing online
• National Lottery Scratchcards (not free Scratchcards)
• National Lottery online instant win games
• other lotteries (for example The Health Lottery, People’s Postcode Lottery, or other smaller lotteries)
• arcade gaming machines (for example penny pusher or claw grab machine)
• fruit or slot machines (for example at an arcade, pub or social club)
• gambling machines in a betting shop
• cards for money (for example with friends or family)
• bingo at a bingo club
• bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club (for example social club or holiday park)
• bingo online (for example Foxy Bingo, Gala Bingo or Tombola)
• bet for money between friends or family
• bet on esports (electronic sports such as playing video games competitively) online
• bet at a betting shop or bookies (for example on football or horse racing)
• bet on a betting website and/or app (for example on football or horse racing)
• game inside a casino in real life, not online
• online game on a casino website (for example online poker or online roulette for money).

Those who selected at least one of these activities were then asked if they had ever spent their own money on these activities, with ‘own money’ noted as meaning pocket money, birthday money or any money they earned themselves or got as a reward. Those who had spent their own money on at least one of the 17 listed activities were asked when they last spent their own money on the activities. Those who cited having spent their own money on any of these activities within the last 12 months are defined as being actively involved in gambling.

Experience of gambling

Young people are categorised as having some experience of gambling if they have ever done any of the 17 gambling activities previously listed but not necessarily spent their own money doing so.

Age restricted gambling

Gambling activities that are licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission and designed to ensure that those under 18 cannot participate. These activities include betting or casino gaming provided by a licensed operator online or from premises, playing National Lottery products or other lottery products, and playing gaming machines in betting shops.

Non-age restricted forms of gambling

This category covers gambling activities that fall outside the Commission's remit, such as non-commercial gambling between friends and family and bingo played somewhere other than a bingo club. It also includes gaming machines that can legally be used by children and young people under 18. The only exception within this category is bingo played somewhere other than a bingo club. Most instances are not age restricted; however, where bingo is played for money, it becomes age restricted.

Young people's active involvement in gambling

Overall, 26% of young people spent their own money (for example pocket money, birthday money or money they earned themselves) on at least one gambling activity in the last 12 months. Participation was largely driven by non-age-restricted activities, particularly arcade gaming machines (19%), betting with friends or family (11%), and playing cards for money (5%). By contrast, participation in age restricted gambling was considerably lower, with 1% reporting spending their own money on National Lottery scratchcards, placing a bet on a betting website or app, playing an online game on a casino website and placing a bet on esports.

Figure 2.1: Top 10 gambling activities that young people spent their own money on in the last 12 months

Figure 2.1 information

GAMSPEND4. And when did you last spend money on [this activity and/or these activities]? Was it...?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering 2026 (3,867).
Note: this is a multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Top 10 gambling activities that young people spent their own money on in the last 12 months

Top 10 gambling activities young people spent their own money on within the past 12 months	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)
Spent money on any gambling activity in last 12 months	26%
Spent money on non-age restricted gambling	24%
Spent money on age restricted gambling	5%
Played arcade gaming machines	19%
Placed a bet for money between friends or family	11%
Played cards for money	5%
Played fruit or slot machines	3%
Played bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club	1%
Placed a bet on a betting website and/or app	1%
National Lottery scratchcards	1%
Played an online game on a casino website	1%
Played bingo at a bingo club	1%
Placed a bet on esports	1%

The proportion of young people who spent their own money on gambling activities in the last 12 months fell from 30% in 2025 to 26% in 2026. This decline was driven by falls in several of the most commonly reported gambling activities, including playing arcade gaming machines, which decreased from 21% to 19%, and betting for money with friends or family, which fell from 14% to 11%.

Table 2.1: Top 10 gambling activities that young people spent their own money on in the last 12 months 2025 to 2026

GAMSPEND4. And when did you last spend money on [this activity and/or these activities]? Was it...?
Base: All answering 2025 (3,666), 2026 (3,867).
Note: multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Table 2.1: Top 10 gambling activities that young people spent their own money on in the last 12 months 2025 to 2026

Top 10 gambling activities young people spent their own money on within the past 12 months	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Spent money on any gambling activity in last 12 months (from across all 17 listed activities)	30%	26%	Significant decrease
Played arcade gaming machines	21%	19%	Significant decrease
Placed a bet for money between friends or family	14%	11%	Significant decrease
Played cards for money	5%	5%	No significant difference
Played fruit or slot machines	4%	3%	Significant decrease
Played bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club	2%	1%	Significant decrease
Placed a bet on a betting website and/or app	1%	1%	No significant difference
National Lottery scratchcards	1%	1%	No significant difference
Played an online game on a casino website	1%	1%	No significant difference
Played bingo at a bingo club	1%	1%	No significant difference
Placed a bet on esports	1%	1%	No significant difference

Young people who are actively involved in gambling: demographic profile

Overall, there were no significant difference in the proportion of boys (26%) and girls (25%) who had spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months. However, boys were more likely than girls to spend their own money on placing a bet for money between family and friends (12%, compared with 9%) and playing cards for money (6%, compared with 3%).

Young people aged 14 to 17 were more likely than those aged 11 to 13 to spend their own money on gambling activities (29%, compared with 22%). This difference was driven by higher participation rates among older young people in some of the most common gambling activities, including playing arcade gaming machines (21%, compared with 18%), betting for money with friends or family (13%, compared with 7%), and playing cards for money (7%, compared with 3%).

Young people from white ethnic groups were more likely than those from ethnic minority backgrounds to have spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months (27%, compared with 23%).

Young people who considered themselves to be risk-takers were more likely to spend their own money on gambling than those who did not consider themselves to be risk-takers (34%, compared with 22%). Similarly, young people who had seen family members gamble were more likely to have spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months than those who had not (35%, compared with 22%).

Reasons why young people gamble

Around 4 in 5 young people (78%) who spent their own money gambling in the last 12 months did so because they regard it as ‘fun’. This is, by far, the most common reason given for active gambling. Around a third of young people gambled because they felt they had a good chance of winning something, even if not a big prize or jackpot (35%).

Of young people, 3 in 10 (30%) indicated that they gambled because the games are simple to play while 29% said they gambled to try to win money. Around a quarter said that gambling gave them something to do (27%) or because they felt they had a chance of winning a jackpot or big prize (26%).

According to the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) 2025, adults predominantly gamble ‘for the chance to win big money’ (84%). However, those aged 18 to 24 who participated in the adult survey were more likely to gamble because it is fun (83%), much like 11 to 17 year olds, for whom enjoyment remains the primary motivation for gambling. For more detail, please refer to Figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2: Reasons why young people gamble within the past 12 months

Figure 2.2 information

GC_SPENDWHY. Thinking about when you have spent your money on [gambling activity], why did you do this?
Base: All participants (answering) who spent their own money in the last 12 months on... 2026 (998).
Note: this is a multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Reasons why young people gamble within the past 12 months

Reasons why young people gamble	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)
Because it is fun	78%
I have a good chance of winning something (even if not a big prize or jackpot)	35%
The games are simple to play	30%
To try to win money	29%
It gives me something to do	27%
I have a chance to win a jackpot or big prize	26%
To get a buzz and/or because it is exciting	23%
Because I like to take risks	19%
Because it is cool	15%
It helps me, cheers me up when I feel down, nervous or in a bad mood	10%
It's something my parents or guardians do	9%
Money goes to good causes	8%
It is something my friends do or I do not want to feel left out	8%
It is something my family and friends do	2%
I have time and/or am on holiday	1%

Overall, young people's motivations for gambling remained broadly consistent between 2025 and 2026. However, some motivations became less prevalent in 2026. The proportion of young people who reported gambling to try to win money fell from 34% in 2025 to 29% in 2026. There was also a decrease in the proportion who said they gamble because they like to take risks (23% to 19%) and because it helps cheer them up when they feel down, nervous or in a bad mood (13% to 10%), as shown in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2: Reasons why young people gamble 2025 to 2026

GC_SPENDWHY: Thinking about when you have spent your money on [gambling activity], why did you do this?
Base: All answering who spent their own money in the last 12 months on... 2025 (1,108), 2026 (998).
Note: This is a multiple response questions, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Table 2.2: Reasons why young people gamble 2025 to 2026

Reasons for gambling	2025 (percentage) (multiple response question, therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)	2026 (percentage) (multiple response question, therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Because it is fun	78%	78%	No significant difference
I have a good chance of winning something (even if not a big prize or jackpot)	36%	35%	No significant difference
The games are simple to play	31%	30%	No significant difference
To try to win money	34%	29%	Significant decrease
It gives me something to do	29%	27%	No significant difference
I have a chance to win a jackpot or big prize	28%	26%	No significant difference
To get a buzz or because it is exciting	22%	23%	No significant difference
Because I like to take risks	23%	19%	Significant decrease
Because it is cool	15%	15%	No significant difference
It helps me or cheers me up when I feel down, nervous or in a bad mood	13%	10%	Significant decrease
It is something my parents or guardians do	9%	9%	No significant difference
Money goes to good causes	9%	8%	No significant difference
It is something my friends do or I do not want to feel left out	7%	8%	No significant difference

Reasons for gambling: Demographic profile

Among young people who had spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months, motivations for gambling varied by activity. Analysis was limited to the most commonly reported activities and gender, as these had sufficient sample sizes to allow robust comparisons.

While having fun was the most commonly cited reason across all activities, young people who played cards for money (43%) or bet with friends and family (40%) were more likely to report gambling to try to win money (29%) and because they enjoyed taking risks (19%). By contrast, participation in arcade gaming machines was more commonly linked to entertainment, with 4 in 5 of 11 to 17 year olds (80%) saying they played because it was fun. Young people who played fruit or slot machines were more likely than those participating in other activities to cite the chance of winning a jackpot or big prize (36%).

For both play on arcade gaming machines and betting for money between friends or family, boys were more likely than girls to report gambling to win money or because they liked taking risks:

• among young people who spent their own money on arcade gaming machines, boys were more likely than girls to report playing to try to win money (18%, compared with 9%) or because they enjoyed taking risks (12%, compared with 6%)
• among young people who bet for money between friends or family, boys were more likely than girls to report playing to try to win money (48%, compared with 29%) or because they enjoyed taking risks (27%, compared with 14%). For this activity boys were also more likely to say that it gives them something to do (23%, compared with 11%) and because it is cool (16%, compared with 3%).

The youth adapted gambling screen

Eligibility for the DSM-IV-MR-J screen is based on whether a young person reported spending their own money on at least one gambling activity during the previous 12 months. It is not based on how frequently or how recently within that period they gambled. A young person may therefore report relatively low levels of recent participation while still being eligible to complete the screen and potentially meeting the criteria for a DSM-IV-MR-J classification. This reflects the purpose of the screen, which is to identify reported behaviours and experiences associated with gambling-related difficulties, rather than to measure the frequency or volume of gambling participation.

The eligibility criteria also do not distinguish between age-restricted and non-age-restricted gambling activities. Young people may be eligible for the screen after spending their own money on any of the 17 gambling activities included in the survey, including activities that are not age-restricted, such as playing arcade gaming machines or betting privately with friends or family. This is because the screen is intended to identify reported behaviours and consequences associated with gambling, rather than compliance with age-based legal restrictions. A young person may report the behaviours or consequences captured by the DSM-IV-MR-J regardless of whether the activity itself is one they are legally permitted to undertake.

The resulting classifications should be interpreted alongside information about the young person’s gambling participation and other relevant contextual measures. Young people within the same scoring category may differ in the number and types of gambling activities they report, the frequency and recency of their participation, and the particular criteria contributing to their score. A classification should not therefore be interpreted as indicating that all young people within that category have similar patterns of gambling involvement or experience the same nature or severity of gambling-related difficulties.

The DSM-IV-MR-J is a recognised youth-adapted screening instrument, rather than a clinical diagnostic tool. Its classifications are derived from young people’s self-reported responses and are not equivalent to a clinical diagnosis nor should it be confused with a measure of addiction. As the screening instrument was specifically adapted for young people and uses age-appropriate behaviours and scoring thresholds, findings are not directly comparable with the adult DSM-IV measure or the PGSI commonly used in adult surveys.

The number of young people classified as scoring 2 to 3 or 4 or more on the DSM-IV-MR-J is small and falls below the study threshold of 50 cases for subgroup analysis. Consequently, estimates for these groups are associated with relatively wide confidence intervals and a greater degree of statistical uncertainty. Any analysis of these groups by demographic or other sub-groups should be treated with particular caution and interpreted as indicative only.

The same caution applies if these findings are grossed up to estimate the corresponding number of young people in the wider population. Grossing up does not reduce the uncertainty associated with the original survey estimate, and the wide confidence intervals around these percentages would translate into potentially wide ranges around the resulting population estimates. Any grossed-up figures should therefore be presented as indicative estimates, alongside their confidence intervals and unweighted bases, and should not be interpreted as precise counts of young people.

DSM-IV-MR-J: Overall findings

A total of 0.9% of young people scored 4 or more on the DSM-IV-MR-J, 2.0% scored 2 or 3, and 23.1% scored 0 or 1. A total of 74.0% were not actively involved in gambling. Decimal places were used in the analysis to provide a more granular breakdown across categories.

Figure 2.3: DSM-IV-MR-J Youth Adapted screen

Figure 2.3 information

Chart shows types of young people’s gambling risk profile as defined by the DSM-IV-MR-J youth-adapted problem gambling screen.
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering 2026 (3,867).

DSM-IV-MR-J Youth Adapted problem gambling screen

DSM-IV-MR-J Youth Adapted problem gambling screen	2026 (percentage)
Never have gambled	74.0%
DSM-IV-MR-J score 0 or 1	23.1%
DSM-IV-MR-J score 2 or 3	2.0%
DSM-IV-MR-J score 4 or more	0.9%

Consistent with the decline in the proportion of young people spending their own money on gambling activities in 2026, the proportion scoring 0 or 1 on the DSM-IV-MR-J also fell, from 27.0% in 2025 to 23.1% in 2026.

However, the small proportion scoring 2 to 3 or scoring 4 or more on the DSM-IV-MR-J have broadly remained the same, as shown in Table 2.3.

Together, these findings suggest that the decline in gambling participation observed in 2026 was accompanied by an increase in the proportion of young people who report no gambling activity at all, while levels of higher risk gambling behaviour remained stable.

Table 2.3: DSM-IV-MR-J Youth Adapted screen 2025 to 2026

Types of gambling as defined by the DSM-IV-MR-J youth-adapted screen.
Base: All answering 2025 (3,666) and 2026 (3,867).

Table 2.3: DSM-IV-MR-J Youth Adapted problem gambling screen 2025 to 2026

Gambling category	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
DSM-IV-MR-J score 0 or 1	27.0%	23.1%	Significant decrease
DSM-IV-MR-J score 2 or 3	2.2%	2.0%	No significant difference
DSM-IV-MR-J score 4 or more	1.2%	0.9%	No significant difference
Never have gambled	69.6%	74.0%	Significant increase
Prefer not to say	0.1%	N/A	No significant difference

DSM-IV-MR-J: Demographic profile

There were no significant differences between boys and girls.

Table 2.4: DSM-IV-MR-J by gender

Table 2.4: DSM-IV-MR-J by gender

Gambling risk profile	Total	Score 0 or 1		Score 2 or 3		Score 4 or more
	Base	Base	Percentage	Base	Percentage	Base	Percentage
Boys	1,896	446	23.6%	37	2.0%	15	0.8%
Girls	1,809	422	23.4%	30	1.7%	9	0.5%

Young people who have seen members of their family gamble were comparatively more likely to score 4 or more in the DSM-IV-MR-J than those who had not (1.4%, compared with 0.4%).

Table 2.5: DSM-IV-MR-J by whether young people have seen a family member gamble

Table 2.5: DSM-IV-MR-J by whether young people have seen a family member gamble

Gambling risk profile	Total	Score 0 or 1		Score 2 or 3		Score 4 or more
	Base	Base	Percentage	Base	Percentage	Base	Percentage
Seen a family member gamble	1,278	380	29.4%	48	3.7%	19	1.4%
Not seen a family member gamble	1,903	391	20.9%	11	0.6%	8	0.4%

Trends in gambling behaviours: 2022 to 2026

Summary

This section of the report illustrates changes in gambling participation over time, including active involvement. It also examines changes in the proportion classified as young people with gambling problems, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) screen.

Due to questionnaire changes made between 2020 and 2021, the 2022 survey serves as the benchmark against which subsequent waves of research are measured. Accordingly, this section presents findings from 5 Young People and Gambling Surveys conducted between 2022 and 2026, highlighting trends over the period.

When interpreting changes over time, it is important to note that the survey sample was broadened from 2023 onwards. Specifically, Year 12 students were included for the first time, extending coverage to 17 year olds, and the sample of participating schools was expanded to include independent schools. As a result, while the data allow for the examination of trends since 2022, some differences between 2022 and later years may reflect changes in the composition of the sample as well as underlying changes in young people's attitudes and behaviours.

While there were year-on-year variations, long-term trends indicate a decline in gambling participation among young people between 2022 and 2026. Decreases were observed in young people’s overall gambling experience and participation within the last 12 months, with the proportion who had ever gambled falling from 60% to 55%, and those gambling in the last 12 months decreasing from 50% to 45%.

The proportion of young people who spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months fell from 31% in 2022 to 26% in 2026. Significant decreases were also observed among those who had spent money on gambling in the previous 4 weeks (18% to 12%). The proportion who had gambled in the previous 7 days remained at comparatively low levels across all 5 survey years.

The top 10 gambling activities that young people spend their own money was broadly consistent over time, with arcade gaming machines remaining the most common activity each year (22% in 2022 and 19% in 2026), followed by betting for money between friends or family, falling from 15% to 11% over the same period. Both activities saw statistically significant decreases between 2022 and 2026.

Based on the DSM-IV-MR-J screening tool, which identifies young people experiencing gambling-related problems according to their reported gambling behaviours, there was no evidence of a long term change in the proportion of young people categorised as at-risk (score 2 or 3) or problem gambling (score 4 or more). These groups remained relatively small, at around 2% and 1% respectively, although the proportion classified as low risk (score 0 or 1) varied over the period.

Experience of gambling

This section of the chapter explores long-term trends between 2022 and 2026 in young people’s wider experience of gambling, including those who spend their own money. Across the 5 studies, levels of gambling participation have fluctuated from year to year. Participation declined between 2022 and 2023 and remained lower through 2024 before increasing again in 2025. The 2026 results indicate a return to lower levels across all measures of gambling participation and involvement. Taken together, these findings suggest that while levels of gambling involvement among young people varied from year to year, the overall direction of travel between 2022 and 2026 was downward, with significantly lower levels of gambling participation recorded at the end of the period than at the beginning.

As shown in Table 3.1, the proportion of young people who had ever experienced gambling decreased from 60% in 2022 to 55% in 2026. Similarly, the proportion who had experienced gambling in the previous 12 months fell from 50% to 45%. Measures of more active participation also declined over the period, with the proportion spending money on gambling in the last 12 months decreasing from 31% to 26%, and the proportion gambling in the last 4 weeks falling from 18% to 12%. Participation in the last 7 days remained comparatively low throughout the period, decreasing from 7% in 2022 to 5% in 2026.

Table 3.1: Wider experience and active involvement in gambling in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026

Base: All answering 2022 (2,559), 2023 (3,453), 2024 (3,869) 2025 (3,666), 2026 (3,867).

Table 3.1: Wider experience and active involvement in gambling in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026

Wider experience and active involvement in gambling in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026	2022 (percentage) (answers do not sum to 100% as table shows more than one question)	2023 (percentage) (answers do not sum to 100% as table shows more than one question)	2024 (percentage) (answers do not sum to 100% as table shows more than one question)	2025 (percentage) (answers do not sum to 100% as table shows more than one question)	2026 (percentage) (answers do not sum to 100% as table shows more than one question)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2022
Ever experienced gambling	60%	48%	52%	59%	55%	Significant decrease
Experienced gambling in last 12 months	50%	40%	44%	49%	45%	Significant decrease
Spent money on gambling in last 12 months	31%	26%	27%	30%	26%	Significant decrease
Spent money on gambling in last 4 weeks	18%	13%	14%	16%	12%	Significant decrease
Spent money on gambling in last 7 days	7%	5%	6%	6%	5%	Significant decrease

Active involvement in gambling

Consistent with the overall decline in gambling participation, the proportion of young people spending their own money on most gambling activities was lower in 2026 than in 2022; falling from 31% in 2022 to 26% in 2026. However, the relative popularity of different activities remained largely unchanged over the period, as shown in Table 3.2.

Playing arcade gaming machines remained by far the most common gambling activity in every survey year, with participation decreasing slightly from 22% in 2022 to 19% in 2026. Betting for money between friends or family was consistently the second most common activity, falling from 15% to 11% over the same period. Notably, both of these activities are non-age restricted forms of gambling and continued to account for the largest share of young people’s active involvement in gambling throughout the period. Both activities saw statistically significant decreases between 2022 and 2026.

Looking specifically at gambling activities that involved young people spending their own money, participation in activities beyond arcade gaming machines and betting between friends or family remained relatively low throughout the survey period. Around 5% reported playing cards for money each year, while 3% reported spending their own money on fruit or slot machines. Participation in other activities, including bingo played outside a bingo club, betting on esports, National Lottery scratchcards, online casino games and betting via a betting website or app, remained low throughout the period, with each activity reported by around 1% to 2% of young people.

Overall, while the types of gambling activities that young people take part in have remained largely consistent over time, the findings suggest a decline in active gambling participation between 2022 and 2026, driven by lower engagement in arcade gaming machines play and betting for money between friends and family, the 2 most prevalent activities throughout the period.

Table 3.2: Top 10 gambling activities that young people spent their own money on within the past 12 months, in 2026 (with comparison data for 2022 to 2026)

GAMSPEND4. And when did you last spend money on [this activity and/or these activities]? Was it...?
Base: All answering 2022 (2,559), 2023 (3,453), 2024 (3,869), 2025 (3,666), 2026 (3,867).
Note: multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Table 3.2: Top 10 gambling activities that young people spent their own money on within the past 12 months, in 2026 (with comparison data for 2022 to 2026)

Top 10 gambling activities young people spent their own money on within the past 12 months (list based on activities in 2026)	2022 (percentage)	2023 (percentage)	2024 (percentage)	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2022
Spent money on any gambling activity in last 12 months	31%	26%	27%	30%	26%	Significant decrease
Played arcade gaming machines	22%	19%	20%	21%	19%	Significant decrease
Placed a bet for money between friends or family	15%	11%	11%	14%	11%	Significant decrease
Played cards for money	5%	5%	5%	5%	5%	No significant difference
Played fruit or slot machines	3%	3%	4%	4%	3%	No significant difference
Played bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club	2%	1%	2%	2%	1%	Significant decrease
Placed a bet on a betting website and/or app	1%	1%	2%	1%	1%	No significant difference
Played an online game on a casino website (for example online poker or online roulette for money)	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	No significant difference
National Lottery scratchcards	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	No significant difference
Placed a bet on esports	2%	1%	1%	1%	1%	Significant decrease
Played bingo at a bingo club	N/A	N/A	1%	1%	1%	No significant difference

Trends in the youth adapted gambling screen

This section reports on long-term trends in the proportion of individuals who, based on their behaviours and actions, are identified as young people experiencing problems with their gambling, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) screen.

While overall gambling participation declined and the proportion of young people classified as low risk (DSM-IV-MR-J score 0 or 1) decreased, the prevalence of higher-risk gambling behaviours among young people remained relatively unchanged over the period.

Looking at these categories in more detail, the proportion of young people classified as low risk (DSM-IV-MR-J score 0 or 1) varied over the period, falling from 27.3% in 2022 to 23.0% in 2023 and remaining at a similar level in 2024 (23.2%), before increasing to 27.0% in 2025 and then falling back to 23.1% in 2026. Despite these fluctuations, there were no statistically significant changes in the proportions classified as at-risk (score 2 or 3) or problem gambling risk (score 4 or more), which remained at around 2% and 1% respectively throughout the period.

Table 3.3: DSM-IV-MR-J Youth Adapted problem screen, in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026

Types of young people’s gambling risk profile as defined by the DSM-IV-MR-J youth-adapted problem screen.
Base: All answering 2022 (2,559), 2023 (3,453), 2024 (3,869), 2025 (3,666), 2026 (3,867).

Table 3.3: DSM-IV-MR-J Youth Adapted problem screen, in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026

Gambling risk categories	2022 (percentage)	2023 (percentage)	2024 (percentage)	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2022
DSM-IV-MR-J score 0 or 1	27.3%	23.0%	23.2%	27.0%	23.1%	Significant decrease
DSM-IV-MR-J score 2 or 3	2.4%	1.5%	1.9%	2.2%	2.0%	No significant difference
DSM-IV-MR-J score 4 or more	0.9%	0.7%	1.5%	1.2%	0.9%	No significant difference
Never have gambled	68.9%	74.2%	72.7%	69.6%	74.0%	Significant increase
Prefer not to say	0.5%	0.8%	0.7%	0.1%	N/A	Significant decrease

Young people’s exposure to gambling

Summary

This section covers young people’s recall of gambling adverts, including the frequency and perceived impact of exposure, as well as their experiences of following gambling-related content on social media, streaming platforms and influencers.

Exposure to gambling advertising was widespread among young people, with 89% reporting that they had seen or heard gambling promotions through either online or offline channels. Offline advertising reached 82% of young people, most commonly through television (69%), sports events (51%), and posters or billboards (50%). Exposure through online channels was similarly prevalent (80%), with apps (68%) and social media (61%) the most frequently cited sources, followed by live streaming and video-sharing platforms (49%).

The data indicates that social media, apps, and live streaming or video-sharing platforms are the most frequently mentioned channels through which young people encounter gambling-related advertisements on a weekly basis. Specifically, 55% of young people reported seeing adverts on social media at least once a week, 53% on live streaming or video-sharing platforms, followed by 52% via TV and 51% on apps. Overall, offline sources showing gambling-related adverts were typically seen less frequently than online sources.

A minority of young people (10%) who recalled seeing a gambling-related advert reported that these promotions prompted them to spend money on gambling that they had not previously planned.

Of the 15% of young individuals who follow gambling-related content on social media, 38% reported that influencers had advertised gambling-related content to them.

Recall of gambling advertising or promotions

Almost 9 in 10 young people (89%) had seen or heard adverts or promotion about gambling through either an online or offline source.

Around 4 in 5 cited an offline source (82%), with TV being the most common (69%), followed by sports events, including branding on players' shirts and around pitches (51%), and posters or billboards (50%). Of young people, 4 in 10 had seen or heard gambling adverts on the radio (40%) or in newspapers or magazines (41%).

A similar proportion overall cited an online source (80%), with apps (68%) and social media (61%) being the most frequently mentioned online channels, while around half (49%) recalled seeing gambling adverts on live streaming or video-sharing platforms. Of young people, 2 in 5 (40%) recalled seeing gambling adverts on another website and just over 1 in 5 (22%) recalled hearing gambling adverts on a podcast.

Figure 4.1: Recall of sources of gambling adverts or promotion within the past 12 months

Figure 4.1 information

GC_ADAWARE. Have you seen or heard adverts or promotion about gambling in any of the following places?
Base: All participants answering each type of advertising 2026 (3,726).
Note: This is a multiple response question, so the responses shown will not add up to 100%.

Recall of sources of gambling adverts or promotion within the past 12 months

Exposure to gambling advertising or promotions	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers will not add up to 100%)
Gambling adverts offline and/or online	89%
Gambling adverts offline	82%
Gambling advert online	80%
On TV	69%
On an app	68%
On social media	61%
At a sports event	51%
On posters or billboards	50%
On live streaming or video sharing platforms	49%
In newspapers or magazines	41%
On the radio	40%
On another website	40%
On a podcast	22%

The analysis reveals notable differences between boys and girls in exposure to gambling-related adverts or promotions, with boys significantly more likely than girls to encounter these across all platforms measured. Notably:

• at sports events: 61% of boys, compared with 42% of girls
• on posters or billboards: 56% of boys, compared with 42% of girls
• live streaming or video sharing platforms: 57% of boys, compared with 39% of girls.

Young people who considered themselves to be risk-takers and those who have seen a family member gamble were more likely to recall seeing or hearing gambling-related adverts or promotions across all listed sources.

Recall of gambling advertising increased between 2025 and 2026 across both offline and online sources, with significant increases observed across a number of individual advertising channels, as shown in Table 4.1.

Table 4.1: Recall of sources of gambling adverts or promotion 2025 to 2026

GC_ADAWARE. Have you seen or heard adverts or promotion about gambling in any of the following places?
Base: All answering 2025: TV (3,526), Radio (3,520), Podcast (3,520), Sports event (3,519), Newspapers or magazines (3,519), Posters and/or billboards (3,520), On an app (3,522), Social media (3,523), Live streaming or video-sharing platforms (3,519), Other websites (3,508).
Base: All answering 2026: TV (3,726), Radio (3,731), Podcast (3,731), Sports event (3,733), Newspapers or magazines (3,732), Posters and/or billboards (3,726), On an app (3,733), Social media (3,732), Live streaming or video-sharing platforms (3,723), Other websites (3,703).
Note: This is a multiple response question, so the responses shown will not add up to 100%.

Table 4.1: Recall of sources of gambling adverts or promotion 2025 to 2026

Exposure to gambling adverts	2025 (percentage) (multiple response question, answers do not sum to 100%)	2026 (percentage) (multiple response question, answers do not sum to 100%)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Gambling adverts offline	77%	82%	Significant increase
Gambling adverts online	74%	80%	Significant increase
On TV	64%	69%	Significant increase
On an app	63%	68%	Significant increase
On social media	56%	61%	Significant increase
At a sports event	47%	51%	Significant increase
On posters or billboards	45%	50%	Significant increase
On live streaming or video sharing platforms	42%	49%	Significant increase
In newspapers or magazines	39%	41%	No significant difference
On the radio	39%	40%	No significant difference
On another website	37%	40%	Significant increase
On a podcast	18%	22%	Significant increase

Frequency of seeing or hearing gambling adverts or promotions

Young people who reported seeing or hearing gambling advertising or promotions were asked how often they were exposed to this content. In 2026, the question was updated to capture whether young people saw or heard gambling advertising on a daily basis, providing a more detailed measure of the frequency of exposure. As a result, comparisons with previous years are not included here, as the wording and response options differ from those used in earlier surveys.

Young people were most likely to see gambling adverts at least weekly on social media (55%), live streaming or video sharing platforms (53%), TV (52%) and apps (51%).

There were variations by gender, with boys more likely than girls to recall having seen or heard gambling adverts or promotions at least once a week across the channels measured. The largest differences between boys and girls in seeing adverts at least once week were at a sports event (53% of boys, compared with 33% of girls), on social media (60% of boys, compared with 48% of girls), and on live streaming or video sharing platforms (57% of boys, compared with 47% of girls).

While gambling advertising reaches young people through a wide range of channels, daily exposure is most common in digital environments. Social media (22%) and live streaming or video-sharing platforms (21%) were the channels through which young people were most likely to encounter gambling advertising on a daily basis, highlighting the prominent role of online media in driving frequent exposure. In contrast, daily exposure through traditional media and offline channels was less common, generally reported by around 1 in 8 to 1 in 7 young people.

Figure 4.2: Frequency of seeing or hearing gambling adverts or promotions (proportion who had seen or heard at least once a week) within the past 12 months

Figure 4.2 information

GC_ADFREQ. And how often do you see or hear adverts or promotion about gambling in the following places?
Base: All participants answering. 'On social media' 2026 (2,280). 'On an app' 2026 (2,541). 'On TV' 2026 (2,566). 'On the radio' 2026 (1,519). 'On live streaming or video sharing platforms' 2026 (1,807). 'At a sports event' 2026 (1,903). 'On another website' 2026 (1,497). 'On a podcast' 2026 (798). 'On posters and/or billboards' 2026 (1,834). 'In newspapers or magazines' 2026 (1,520).
Note: This is a multiple response question, so the responses shown will not add up to 100%.

Frequency of seeing or hearing gambling adverts or promotions (proportion who had seen or heard at least once a week) within the past 12 months

Frequency of seeing or hearing gambling advertisements or promotions (at least once a week)	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers will not add up to 100%)
On social media (including Snapchat, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok)	55%
On live streaming or video sharing platforms (including Twitch and YouTube)	53%
On TV	52%
On an app	51%
On the radio	49%
On another website	49%
At a sports event (for example at football stadiums or on players' shirts or around the pitch)	45%
On a podcast	41%
On posters or billboards	40%
In newspapers or magazines	38%

Perceived impact of gambling adverts on unplanned spending

Young people who recalled having seen a gambling-related advert or promotion were asked if these adverts or promotions had ever prompted them to spend money on gambling that they were not otherwise planning to. Of young people, 1 in 10 (10%) said that they had felt prompted by these adverts to spend money on gambling.

Being prompted to spend money on gambling and actually participating in gambling are distinct concepts. The results show that 28% of those who said they had been prompted to spend money on gambling did not report participating in gambling elsewhere in the survey. This may reflect differences in how young people interpreted the question, reporting inconsistencies, or experiences that fell outside the survey's reference period or range of gambling activities. As with all self-reported survey data, findings should therefore be interpreted with appropriate caution.

Figure 4.3: The perceived impact of adverts on unplanned spending on gambling within the past 12 months

Figure 4.3 information

GC_ADSPEND. Have adverts or promotion about gambling ever prompted you to spend money on gambling when you were not otherwise planning to?
Base: All participants answering who have seen and/or heard any gambling adverts or promotions 2026 (3,201).

The perceived impact of adverts on unplanned spending on gambling within the past 12 months

The impact of gambling advertisements on unplanned spending	2026 (percentage)
Yes	10%
No	81%
Do not know	9%

Boys were more likely than girls to report that gambling advertising or promotion had prompted them to spend money on gambling (11%, compared with 8%). There were no significant differences by age. Young people who had been actively involved in gambling during the previous 12 months were more likely than young people overall to report that gambling advertising or promotion had prompted them to spend money on gambling (13%, compared with 10%).

Young people who considered themselves to be risk-takers were more likely to report that gambling-related adverts had prompted them to spend money on gambling (15%, compared with 6%). Additionally, young people who had seen a family member gamble were more likely than those who had not seen a family member gamble to report they had been influenced by gambling-related adverts (14%, compared with 6%).

Most young people who had seen or heard gambling advertising or promotions reported that it had not prompted them to spend money on gambling when they had not otherwise planned to do so (81%). Nevertheless, the proportion reporting that gambling advertising had influenced their spending increased significantly from 7% in 2025 to 10% in 2026. No statistically significant changes were observed in the proportions answering 'no' or 'do not know'. As such, the findings point to an increase in the proportion reporting an influence of advertising on spending, although the majority of young people continue to report no such influence.

Table 4.2: The perceived impact of adverts on unplanned spending on gambling 2025 to 2026

GC_ADSPEND. Have adverts or promotion about gambling ever prompted you to spend money on gambling when you were not otherwise planning to?
Base: All answering who have seen and/or heard any gambling adverts or promotions 2025 (2,846), 2026 (3,201).

Table 4.3: The perceived impact of adverts on unplanned spending on gambling 2025 to 2026

Response	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Yes	7%	10%	Significant increase
No	82%	81%	No significant difference
Do not know	10%	9%	No significant difference

Engagement with gambling-related content on social media

Around 1 in 7 (15%) young people followed gambling companies (including those who provide betting, bingo and lottery activities and gamblers who stream their gambling or provide content about it) through at least one social media and or streaming platform. The most frequently cited platforms were TikTok (10%), YouTube (8%), Snapchat (6%) and Instagram (5%).  

Figure 4.4: Engagement with gambling-related content on social media and streaming platforms within the past 12 months

Figure 4.4 information

GC_SOCIALMED. Do you follow any gambling companies on any of the following social media or streaming platforms?
Base: All participants answering 2026 (3,699).
Note: this is a multiple response question, therefore answers will not add up to 100%.

Engagement with gambling-related content on social media and streaming platforms within the past 12 months

Social media and streaming platform engagement with gambling companies	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers will not add up to 100%)
Yes	15%
Yes, on TikTok	10%
Yes, on YouTube	8%
Yes, on Snapchat	6%
Yes, on Instagram	5%
Yes, on Twitter or X	4%
Yes, on Facebook	3%
Yes, on Twitch	3%
No	73%
No, I do not follow any gambling on social media and/or streaming platforms	69%
No, I do not use social media and/or streaming platforms	5%
Do not know or cannot remember	12%

There were variations by sub-group in terms of young people who were more likely to follow gambling companies on social media or streaming platforms. Notably:

• young people actively involved in gambling within the last 12 months were significantly more likely to follow gambling companies through at least one social media and or streaming platform (22%, compared with the overall figure of 15%)
• boys were significantly more likely than girls to follow gambling companies through at least one social media and or streaming platform (19% of boys, compared with 10% of girls)
• those young people who had seen a family member gamble were more likely than those who had not to follow gambling companies on social media and or streaming platforms (20%, compared with 12%).

Young people who do not feel well informed about the risks of gambling were more likely to follow gambling companies on social media or streaming platforms, than those who felt informed (29%, and 14%, respectively). Young people who considered themselves to be risk-takers were also more likely than those who did not consider themselves to be risk-takers to follow gambling-related content (23%, compared with 9%).

The overall proportion of young people who follow gambling-related content on social media or streaming platforms has remained broadly stable at 15% in 2026, compared with 16% in 2025. As has the split by the different types of social media, as shown in Table 4.3.

Table 4.3: Engagement with gambling-related content on social media and streaming platforms 2025 to 2026

GC_SOCIALMED. Do you follow any gambling companies on any of the following social media or streaming platforms?
Base: All answering 2025 (3,519), 2026 (3,699).
Note: This is a multiple response question, so the responses shown will not add up to 100%.

Table 4.3: Engagement with gambling-related content on social media and streaming platforms 2025 to 2026

Response	2025 (percentage) (multiple response question, answers do not sum to 100%)	2026 (percentage) (multiple response question, answers do not sum to 100%)	Statistical differences 2026 compared with 2025
Yes	16%	15%	No significant difference
Yes, on TikTok	11%	10%	No significant difference
Yes, on YouTube	9%	8%	No significant difference
Yes, on Instagram	6%	5%	No significant difference
Yes, on Snapchat	6%	6%	No significant difference
Yes, on Twitter or X	4%	4%	No significant difference
Yes, on Twitch	3%	3%	No significant difference
Yes, on Facebook	3%	3%	No significant difference

The role of influencers in advertising gambling-related content

Young people who follow gambling-related content on social media or streaming platforms were asked whether gambling content was advertised to them by influencers, creators or streamers.

Of the 15% of young people who follow gambling-related content on social media or streaming platforms, around 2 in 5 (38%) have been exposed to gambling advertising from the influencers, creators, or streamers that they follow.

Boys were significantly more likely than girls to report that influencers, creators or streamers they followed had advertised gambling content to them (42% of boys, compared with 27% of girls). Young people who had seen a family member gamble were also more likely than those who had not to report that influencers, creators or streamers they followed had advertised gambling content to them (47%, compared with 32%).

Figure 4.5: Advertising of gambling-related content by influencers, creators, streamers young people follow within the past 12 months

Figure 4.5 information

GC_INFLUENCER. Have any influencers, creators or streamers you follow advertised gambling content to you?
Base: All participants answering who follow gambling related content on social media or streaming platforms 2026 (551).

Advertising of gambling-related content by influencers, creators, streamers young people follow within the past 12 months

Advertising of gambling-related content by influencers, creators, streamers young people follow within the past 12 months	2026 (percentage)
Yes	38%
No	49%
Do not know	13%

There was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of young people who reported that influencers, creators or streamers they follow had advertised gambling content, rising from 31% in 2025 to 38% in 2026. No statistically significant changes were observed in the proportions reporting that they had not seen such advertising or who were unsure. This suggests that reported exposure to gambling-related promotional content increased over the period, while levels of reported non-exposure and uncertainty remained broadly stable.

Table 4.4: Engagement with gambling-related content on social media and streaming platforms 2025 to 2026

GC_INFLUENCER. Have any influencers, creators or streamers you follow advertised gambling content to you?
Base: All participants answering who follow gambling related content on social media or streaming platforms 2025 (578), 2026 (551).

Table 4.4: Engagement with gambling-related content on social media and streaming platforms 2025 to 2026

Response	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical differences 2026 compared with 2025
Yes	31%	38%	Significant increase
No	53%	49%	No significant difference
Do not know	15%	13%	No significant difference

The impact of gambling on young people

Summary

This section of the report examines the potential impact that young people may experience as a result of their own or someone else's gambling, including the impact on relationships with family and friends, school and quality of life.

To set the findings in context the section starts by exploring young people’s experience of seeing a family member gamble.

Around one-third (35%) of young people reported ever having seen a family member they live with gamble. Among these young people, 20% said that gambling had helped pay for activities. However, 12% reported arguments or tension at home, and 7% said that a parent or guardian had less time to spend with them because of their gambling.

Overall 12% of young people who witnessed a family member gamble lost sleep because of worrying about it. Around 1 in 10 (9%) reported that gambling among family members or people they lived with had made them feel sad or made them feel worried (11%).

The study used Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) screen questions to identify the impact of gambling on young people. In the past 12 months, 3% of young gamblers missed school due to gambling. While most reported no issues, 6% had lied to family, friends or others and 7% had arguments with them.

Experience of ever seeing a family member gambling

Around one-third (35%) of young people have ever seen a family member they live with gamble. As shown in Figure 5.1, 50% have not and a further 15% were unsure and answered, ‘Do not know’.

Analysis by sub-group highlights variations in who is more likely to report seeing a family member gamble. For example, young people aged 14 to 17 were more likely than those aged 11 to 13 to report having seen a family member gamble (39%, compared with 28%).

Young people from white ethnic groups were also more likely than those from ethnic minority backgrounds to report having seen a family member gamble (40%, compared with 24%).

Young people who reported gambling themselves were more likely to have seen a family member gamble. Around 4 in 10 (42%) young people who had experienced any gambling activity in the last 12 months reported having seen a family member gamble, rising to 46% among those who had actively participated in gambling in the same period.

Figure 5.1: Experience of ever seeing family members gambling

Figure 5.1 information

GC_FAMGAM. Have you ever seen any of the family members that you live with gambling? When we talk about gambling, we mean any activity which involves risking money (or something of value) in a game or a bet in the hope of winning money or a prize.
Base: All participants answering 2026 (3,716).

Experience of ever seeing family members gambling

Experience of family member gambling	2026 (percentage)
Yes	35%
No	50%
Do not know	15%

There was a significant increase in the proportion of young people who reported ever having seen a family member they live with gamble, rising from 29% in 2025 to 35% in 2026. As this question asks about experiences at any point in a young person's life, rather than in a defined timeframe, year-on-year changes should be interpreted cautiously.

Table 5.1: Experience of family member gambling 2025 to 2026

GC_FAMGAM. Have you ever seen any of the family members that you live with gambling? When we talk about gambling, we mean any activity which involves risking money (or something of value) in a game or a bet in the hope of winning money or a prize.
Base: All participants answering 2025 (3,484), 2026 (3,716).

Table 5.1: Experience of family member gambling 2025 to 2026

Experience of family member gambling	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical differences 2026 compared with 2025
Yes	29%	35%	Significant increase
No	57%	50%	Significant decrease
Do not know	14%	15%	No significant difference

Impact of seeing a family member gamble

Young people who had ever seen family members gamble were asked if this had affected specific aspects of their lives either rarely, sometimes, often, all of the time or never. A combination figure for ‘sometimes’, ‘often’, or ‘all of the time’ has been used to report the impact that gambling can have on young people’s well-being, unless specified otherwise.

Of young people, 1 in 10 (10%) say that their family’s gambling has helped to pay for other things or activities, for example, holidays, trips, clubs. Smaller proportions of young people reported that family members gambling impacted on parents or guardians having time to spend with young people (4%) or had stopped them from having enough food (3%). However, 1 in 20 (5%) reported that family gambling had led to more arguments or tension at home.

There were few demographic differences across these measures. However, young people from ethnic minority backgrounds were more likely than those from white ethnic groups to report that family gambling had led to more arguments or tension at home (10%, compared with 4%).

While there was an overall increase in the proportion of young people who reported ever having witnessed a family member they live with gamble, this increase was not reflected in reported impacts experienced in the last 12 months. There was no significant change in the proportion reporting that family gambling had helped pay for activities (9% in 2025 and 10% in 2026), led to insufficient food (2% and 3% respectively), or resulted in parents or guardians having less time to spend with them (4% in both years). However, the proportion reporting that family gambling had led to arguments or tension at home decreased from 7% in 2025 to 5% in 2026.

Table 5.2: The impact of family members’ gambling on young people’s well-being 2025 to 2026

GC_FAMGAMFOOD, GC_FAMGAMPAY, GC_FAMLEDTME, GC_FAMLEDARG. Thinking about the last 12 months, how often, if at all...
Base: All answering who have seen family members live with gamble – 'Stopped you from having enough food (food at home or money on school canteen card and/or account” 2025 (997), 2026 (1,261);
'Helped your family pay for other things or activities' 2025 (1,000), 2026 (1,262);
'Your parents or guardians having less time to spend with you' 2025 (999), 2026 (1,261);
'More arguments or tension at home', 2025 (1,000), 2026 (1,256).

Table 5.2: The impact of family members’ gambling on young people’s well-being 2025 to 2026

Helped your family pay for other things or activities	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Never	76%	75%	No significant difference
Rarely	10%	10%	No significant difference
Sometimes	7%	7%	No significant difference
Often	1%	2%	Significant increase
All the time	1%	2%	Significant increase
Do not know	6%	5%	No significant difference
Sometimes, often and all the time	9%	10%	No significant difference
Stopped you from having enough food	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Never	94%	94%	No significant difference
Rarely	1%	2%	Significant increase
Sometimes	N/A	1%	No significant difference
Often	1%	1%	No significant difference
All the time	1%	1%	No significant difference
Do not know	2%	2%	No significant difference
Sometimes, often and all the time	2%	3%	No significant difference
Your parents or guardians having less time to spend with you	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Never	90%	90%	No significant difference
Rarely	3%	2%	No significant difference
Sometimes	2%	2%	No significant difference
Often	1%	1%	No significant difference
All the time	1%	1%	No significant difference
Do not know	2%	3%	No significant difference
Sometimes, often and all the time	4%	4%	No significant difference
More arguments or tension at home	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Never	87%	85%	No significant difference
Rarely	4%	6%	Significant increase
Sometimes	3%	3%	No significant difference
Often	2%	1%	No significant difference
All the time	2%	1%	No significant difference
Do not know	3%	3%	No significant difference
Sometimes, often and all the time	7%	5%	Significant decrease

Impact on sleep

Young people who had ever seen family members in their household gamble, were asked how often, if at all, they lost sleep because they worried about the gambling of a family member or someone else who is responsible for looking after them.

Of young people, 1 in 20 (5%) had lost sleep, at least once in the past 12 months, because they were worrying about the gambling of a family member or someone who is responsible for looking after them.

As previously noted, a net figure has been used to report the impact that gambling can have on young people. This was derived from responses of ‘once or twice’, ‘sometimes’ or ‘often’. This finding is consistent across all subgroups.

Figure 5.2: The impact that family members’ gambling can have on young people’s sleep due to worry within the past 12 months

Figure 5.2 information

GC_SLEEPFAMGAM. Over the past year, how often, if at all, have you lost sleep at night because...
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering, 'You have been worrying about the gambling of a family member or someone who is responsible for looking after you' 2026 (1,225).

The impact that family members’ gambling can have on young people’s sleep due to worry within the past 12 months

The impact that family members’ gambling can have on young people’s sleep due to worry	2026 (percentage) (You have been worrying about the gambling of a family member or someone who is responsible for looking after you)
Never	86%
Rarely	6%
Sometimes	3%
Often	1%
All the time	2%
Do not know	2%
Sometimes, often and all the time	5%

Impact on wellbeing

Overall, just under 1 in 20 young people who had seen family members they live with gamble, say this has made them feel sad (3%) or worried (4%) at least once in the past 12 months.

Figure 5.3: The impact of family members’ gambling on young people’s emotions within the past 12 months

Figure 5.3 information

GC_NEWFELTBADFAMSAD, GC_NEWFELTBADFAMWOR. In the past 12 months how often, if at all, would you say that gambling among your family members and/or people you live with has made you feel...
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have seen family members live with gamble 'Worried' 2026 (1,260), 'Sad' 2026 (1,259).

The impact of family members’ gambling on young people’s emotions within the past 12 months

The impact of family members’ gambling on young people’s emotions	2026 (percentage)
	Worried	Sad
Never	86%	88%
Rarely	7%	5%
Sometimes	2%	2%
Often	1%	1%
All the time	1%	1%
Do not know	3%	3%
Sometimes, often and all the time	4%	3%

Young people reporting that gambling among family members or people they lived with had made them feel sad or worried remained broadly similar between 2025 and 2026. In 2026, 9% reported feeling sad and 11% reported feeling worried at least once in the past 12 months. Neither measure changed significantly compared with 2025.

Table 5.3: The impact of family members’ gambling on young people’s emotions 2025 to 2026

GC_NEWFELTBADFAMSAD. In the past 12 months how often, if at all, would you say that gambling among your family members and or people you live with has made you feel... sad, worried.
Base: All participants who have seen family members live with gamble, Sad: 2025 (996), 2026 (1,259); Worried: 2025 (999), 2026 (1,260).

Table 5.3: The impact of family members’ gambling on young people’s emotions 2025 to 2026

The impact of family members’ gambling on young people feeling sad	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Never	91%	88%	Significant decrease
Rarely	3%	5%	Significant increase
Sometimes	2%	2%	No significant difference
Often	1%	1%	No significant difference
All the time	2%	1%	No significant difference
Sometimes, often and all the time	4%	3%	No significant difference
The impact of family members’ gambling on young people feeling worried	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Never	88%	86%	No significant difference
Rarely	4%	7%	Significant increase
Sometimes	3%	2%	No significant difference
Often	1%	1%	No significant difference
All the time	2%	1%	No significant difference
Sometimes, often and all the time	6%	4%	Significant decrease

Impact on school attendance and relationships

The following 3 questions form part of the youth adapted Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition – Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) screen.

A net figure for 'At least once' has been used to report the impact that gambling can have on young people. This was derived from responses of ‘once or twice’, ‘sometimes’ or ‘often’.

The impact of gambling on school attendance

Young people were asked whether gambling had ever led to them missing school in the past 12 months.

A small proportion (3%) of those who had spent their own money gambling in the last 12 months, noted that this had led them to missing school.

Figure 5.4: The impact of gambling on school attendance within the past 12 months

Figure 5.4 information

GC_LEDRISKEDSCHL. In the past 12 months has your gambling ever led to the following?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have spent their own money gambling in the last 12 months 'Missing school' 2026 (947).

The impact of gambling on school attendance within the past 12 months

The impact of gambling on school attendance	2026 (percentage)
Never	97%
Once or twice	1%
Sometimes	1%
Often	1%
Ever	3%

The proportion of young people who reported that gambling had led them to miss school at least once in the past 12 months remained at low levels between 2025 and 2026 (2% and 3% respectively), with no statistically significant change over time.

Table 5.4: The impact of gambling on school attendance 2025 to 2026

GC_LEDRISKEDSCHL. In the past 12 months has your gambling ever led to the following?
Base: All participants (answering) who have spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months 'Missing school' 2025 (1,056) 2026 (947).

Table 5.4: The impact of gambling on school attendance 2025 to 2026

Missing school	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
My gambling has never led to this	98%	97%	No significant difference
Once or twice	1%	1%	No significant difference
Sometimes	0%	1%	Significant increase
Often	1%	1%	No significant difference
Done so at least once in the past 12 months	2%	3%	No significant difference

The impact of gambling on relationships

Young people who had gambled with their own money in the last 12 months were asked whether gambling had affected their relationships with family and friends.

Most young people who had used their own money to gamble, said this had never led to telling lies to family or friends (94%), or arguments (93%). However, 6% reported they had ever told lies to family or friends or got into arguments (7%) because of gambling in the past 12 months.

Reports of gambling leading to difficulties in relationships were more common among young people with higher DSM-IV-MR-J scores, with 39% of those scoring 2 or 3 telling lies to family or friends. Similarly, 39% of young people scoring 2 or 3 reported that gambling had led to arguments with family or friends.

Figure 5.5: Extent to which gambling had led to lying and arguing with family or friends or others within the past 12 months

Figure 5.5 information

GC_LEDLYING GC_LEDRISKEDFAM. In the past 12 months has your gambling ever led to the following?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have spent their own money gambling in the last 12 months 'Telling lies to family and/or friends or others' 2026 (948), 'Arguments with family and/or friends' 2026 (951).

Extent to which gambling had led to lying and arguing with family or friends or others within the past 12 months

Extent to which gambling led to lying and arguing with family and/or friends or others	2026 (percentage)
	Telling lies to family and/or friends or others	Arguments with family and/or friends or others
Never	94%	93%
Once or twice	4%	6%
Sometimes	1%	0%
Often	1%	1%
Ever	6%	7%

Despite changes in some measures of exposure to gambling, there was no indication of an increase in gambling-related impacts on relationships. The proportion of young people reporting that gambling had caused them to lie to family, friends or others remained broadly unchanged between 2025 and 2026 (5% and 6%, respectively), while the proportion reporting arguments with family, friends or others was unchanged at 7% in both years.

Table 5.5: Extent to which gambling had led to lying and arguing with family or friends or others 2025 to 2026

GC_LEDLYING GC_LEDRISKEDFAM. In the past 12 months has your gambling ever led to the following?
Base: All participants (answering) who have spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months 'Telling lies to family or friends or others' 2025 (1,058); 2026 (948), 'Arguments with family or friends or others' 2025 (1,058); 2026 (951).

Table 5.5: Extent to which gambling had led to lying and arguing with family or friends or others 2025 to 2026

Telling lies to family or friends or others	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
My gambling has never led to this	95%	94%	No significant difference
Once or twice	3%	4%	No significant difference
Sometimes	1%	1%	No significant difference
Often	1%	1%	No significant difference
Done so at least once in the past 12 months	5%	6%	No significant difference
Arguments with family or friends or others	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
My gambling has never led to this	93%	93%	No significant difference
Once or twice	4%	6%	Significant increase
Sometimes	2%	0%	Significant decrease
Often	1%	1%	No significant difference
Done so at least once in the past 12 months	7%	7%	No significant difference

Gambling activities and gaming

Summary

This section focuses on young people’s experience and active involvement with gambling activities, games and gaming machines in the last 12 months. It highlights the most popular forms of gaming machines, as well as who young people are with when playing games, and the extent to which they have been played in adult-only areas of venues such as holiday parks and arcades. This chapter also explores young people's awareness and use of in-game purchasing features, including virtual items and loot boxes or surprise boxes, and how these features are accessed and used.

The survey findings demonstrate that arcade gaming machines were the most popular form of gaming among young people, with 32% having played these machines in the last 12 months. Fruit and slot machines (5%) and gambling machines in betting shops (1%) were less frequently played.

Among young people who played arcade gaming machines, claw or grab machines were the most popular (75%), followed by penny falls or penny pusher machines (69%). Around 1 in 14 young people (7%) who had played on arcade gaming machines reported doing so in an adult-only area. While the majority (56%) did so in the company of a parent, carer or guardian, 18% were alone at the time.

The 2026 survey also examined young people's experiences with online gambling. 7% reported taking part in at least one online gambling activity in the past 12 months. This includes 3% who had placed a bet on a betting website or app, 3% who played an online game on a casino website and 2% who played bingo online.

In the past 12 months, 1 in 10 young people (10%) engaged in lottery-style games. National Lottery scratchcards were the most popular format, played by 8%. Smaller proportions played the National Lottery draw, either with a physical ticket or online (3%), National Lottery online instant win games (1%) or other lotteries (1%). The majority of young people who played the National Lottery draw (78%) and National Lottery Scratchcards (94%) had the ticket or scratchcard purchased for them by someone else.

Of the small number of young people who played National Lottery games online, 10% did so using their parents' or guardians' accounts without permission. Additionally, 8% reported using a parent’s or guardian’s account without permission to access gambling websites or place bets online.

Awareness of in-game purchasing features was widespread among young people. Overall, 82% were aware of at least one type of in-game purchasing activity, indicating that these features are a familiar aspect of the gaming environment for most young people. The best-known activities were buying virtual items with their own money (80%) and purchasing virtual items using in-game currency without spending real money (79%). Awareness was also high for virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes, with around three-quarters of young people recognising both opening them with in-game money (76%) and opening them using their own or their parents' and/or carers' money (73%). The relatively small differences across activities suggest that awareness extends across a broad range of in-game purchasing features rather than being concentrated on a single type.

Awareness of in-game purchasing features was high and was generally accompanied by use. Among young people who were aware of virtual items, 84% had engaged with at least one such feature. The most common activities were buying virtual items with in-game currency (65%), purchasing virtual items with real money (60%), and opening loot boxes or surprise boxes using in-game currency (54%). Personal bank accounts (58%) and gift cards (57%) were the most commonly used payment methods.

Overall experience of playing games and gaming machines

This section covers the types of games and gaming machines young people play. As reported in the wider experience and active involvement in gambling section, gaming-based activities were particularly common among young people, with arcade gaming machines emerging as the single most popular activity across all gambling and gaming activities included in the survey. Just over 3 in 10 (32%) young people had played arcade gaming machines in the last 12 months.

Playing arcade machines is more prevalent among younger age groups (33% of 11 to 15 year olds), compared with 16 to 17 year olds (27%). There were also differences by ethnicity, with just over a third (35%) of young people who are white playing arcade games compared with 28% of young people from ethnic minorities.

Young people who had seen family members gamble were more likely to have played arcade gaming machines in the last 12 months than those who had not (37%, compared with 31%). A similar pattern was evident among young people who described themselves as ‘risk-takers’, with participation in arcade gaming machines play higher among this group than among those who did not identify as risk-takers (36%, compared with 30%). These findings suggest that both exposure to gambling within the family and a greater propensity for risk-taking are associated with higher engagement in arcade gaming machines. Similar patterns were observed across the wider category of games and gaming machines.

While card-playing for money was undertaken by a relatively small proportion of young people overall (8%), participation varied by both gender and age. Boys were more likely than girls to have played cards for money in the last year (9%, compared with 6%), while prevalence increased markedly with age, from 2% among 11 year olds to 13% among 16 year olds. The stronger age-related pattern suggests that engagement with this activity is more closely related to age than gender.

Playing on other types of gaming or gambling machines were less common among 11 to 17 year olds. This is to be expected as these machines are age restricted whereas arcade gaming machines are not. Of young people, 1 in 20 (5%) had played fruit or slot machines in the last 12 months, while 1% had played gambling machines in a betting shop. Those aged 14 to 17 were more likely to report playing fruit or slot machines (6%), compared with those in the younger age group (4% of 11 to 13 year olds). In addition, those who are white were more likely to play fruit or slot machines, compared with young people from ethnic minorities (6%, compared with 4%).

Types of gaming machine played

Young people who had played arcade gaming machines, fruit machines or slot machines were asked which types of machines they had played. Claw or crane grab machines, such as toy grabbers, were by far the most commonly played, with three-quarters (75%) reporting participation, followed by penny falls or penny pusher machines (69%).

Playing on other types of machines was less popular. Among those who played arcade machines, 17% had played fruit machine-style games where tickets could be exchanged for prizes such as soft toys, while around 1 in 10 (12%) had played quiz game machines. Fewer young people reported playing fruit machine-style games offering small cash prizes (8%). Overall, the findings suggest that young people's engagement with arcade machines is concentrated on games offering entertainment or non-cash rewards, rather than those involving direct cash prizes. See Figure 6.1.

Figure 6.1: Types of gaming machines played within the past 12 months

Figure 6.1 information

GC_FRUITTYPE. Thinking back to the last time you played on ‘Arcade gaming machines’, ‘Fruit or slot machines’, or ‘Other gambling machines’, what sort of machine(s) did you play?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have played ‘Arcade gaming machines’ or ‘Fruit and/or slot machines’ 2026 (2,059).
Note: This is a multiple response questions, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Types of gaming machines played within the past 12 months

Types of gaming machines played within the past 12 months	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)
Claw or crane grab machines	75%
Penny falls or penny pusher machines	69%
Fruit machine style games where you win tickets to ‘buy’ prizes	17%
Quiz game machines – where you win small cash prizes or tickets to ‘buy’ prizes	12%
Fruit machine style games where you win small cash prizes	8%
Other	3%
Do not know	7%

Variations in the types of gaming machines played were notable by gender and age:

• girls were more likely than boys to play claw or crane grab machines (80%, compared with 70%) and fruit machine style games where you win tickets to ‘buy’ prizes (20%, compared with 15%)
• older groups (14 to 17 year olds) were more likely to have played games where you could win cash prizes such as penny falls or penny pusher machines (71%, compared with 66% of 11 to 13 year olds) and fruit machine style games where you win small cash prizes (10%, compared with 5%).

The types of gaming machines played remained largely unchanged between 2025 and 2026, with no statistically significant differences recorded for any category.

Table 6.1: Types of gaming machines played 2025 to 2026

GC_FRUITTYPE. Thinking back to the last time you played on arcade gaming machines, fruit or slot machines, or other gambling machines, what sort of machine(s) did you play?
Base: All participants (answering) who have played arcade gaming machines or fruit or slot machines 2025 (2,208) 2026 (2,059).

Table 6.1: Types of gaming machines played 2025 to 2026

Types of gaming machines played	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Claw or crane grab machines (for example toy grab)	73%	75%	No significant difference
Penny falls or penny pusher machines (for example 2p machine)	68%	69%	No significant difference
Fruit machine style games where you win tickets to ‘buy’ prizes (for example soft toys)	19%	17%	No significant difference
Quiz game machines where you win small cash prizes or tickets to ‘buy’ prizes (for example soft toys)	12%	12%	No significant difference
Fruit machine style games where you win small cash prizes	8%	8%	No significant difference
Do not know	8%	7%	No significant difference

Playing arcade machines in adult-only areas

Young people who had played arcade gaming machines were asked if they had ever done so in an adult-only area, for example an adult (18 years old and above) only section of an amusement arcade, bowling alley, holiday park or pub.

Around 1 in 14 young people (7%) who had experience of arcade gaming machines reported having played a machine located within an adult-only area. In contrast, the vast majority (85%) stated that they had not done so, while a further 8% were unsure.

Experience of playing arcade gaming machines in adult-only areas varied across different groups of young people. Those who reported seeing family members gamble were almost 3 times as likely to have played a machine in an adult-only area compared with those who did not see family members gamble (11% and 4%, respectively). Similarly, self-identified risk takers were more likely to report having played in an adult-only area than those who did not consider themselves risk takers (12% compared with 3%).

Compared with 2025, the proportion of young people with experience of arcade gaming machines who reported playing within an adult-only area has declined. However, this decrease was not accompanied by a statistically significant increase in the proportion reporting that they had not played in an adult-only area, suggesting that overall patterns of exposure remain broadly stable. See Table 6.2 for further details.

Table 6.2: Playing arcade machines in an adults-only area 2025 to 2026

GC_FRUITWHERE. As far as you know, have you ever played on any of these machines in an adults-only area or somewhere with a sign or sticker saying 18 years old and above? For example, an adult only section of an amusement arcade or holiday park.
Base: All participants (answering) who have played arcade gaming machines or fruit or slot machines and know machine played 2025 (1,985), 2026 (1,849).

Table 6.2: Playing arcade machines in an adults-only area 2025 to 2026

Playing arcade gaming machines in an adults-only area	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Yes	9%	7%	Significant decrease
No	83%	85%	No significant difference
Do not know	8%	8%	No significant difference

Who young people were with in an adult-only area

This section explores who young people were with when they play in an adult-only section of an amusement arcade.

The majority of young people who gambled within adult-only areas did so in the company of a parent, carer or guardian (56%), with a friend aged 18 or over (12%), or an older sibling aged 18 or older (8%).

However, 18% were alone, and 19% were with a friend aged 17 or younger, as shown in Figure 6.2.

Figure 6.2: Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months

Figure 6.2 information

GC_FRUITWHO. And in this adult (18 years old and above) only section, who were you with?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have ever played in an adults-only area 2026 (123).
Note: This is a multiple response questions, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months

Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)
Parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s)	56%
Friend(s) aged 17 or younger	19%
I was alone	18%
Friend(s) aged 18 or older	12%
Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 18 or older	8%
Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 17 or younger	6%
Others	4%
Do not know	2%

The proportions of young people reporting who they were with when playing in an adult-only area have remained broadly stable between 2025 and 2026. The most notable change is the proportion of young people who were with friends aged 18 or over, which has more than doubled from 5% in 2025 to 12% in 2026.

Among young people who had experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months, parents, carers or guardians remained the most commonly reported companions in both years, cited by over half of respondents (57% in 2025 and 56% in 2026). There was no statistically significant change in this measure, indicating that parental or guardian accompaniment continues to be the predominant context in which young people encounter gambling activities in adult-only environments.

Table 6.3: Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months 2025 to 2026

GC_FRUITWHO. And in this adult (18 years old and above) only section, who were you with?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have ever played in an adults-only area 2025 (167), 2026 (123).
Note: This is a multiple response questions, therefore answers do not sum to 100 percent.

Table 6.3: Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months 2025 to 2026

Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months	2025 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s)	57%	56%	No significant difference
Friend(s) aged 17 or younger	18%	19%	No significant difference
I was alone	15%	18%	No significant difference
Friend(s) aged 18 or over	5%	12%	Significant increase
Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 18 or over	10%	8%	No significant difference
Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 17 or younger	12%	6%	No significant difference
Others	2%	4%	No significant difference
Do not know	6%	2%	No significant difference

Online gambling

Young people’s participation in online gambling

A total of 7% of young people reported online gambling in the past 12 months. This includes 3% who had placed a bet on a betting website or app and 3% who played an online game on a casino website. Fewer young people had played bingo online (2%), placed a bet on esports online (2%), while 1% had played National Lottery instant win games online.

Older groups were more likely to have gambled online (8% of 14 to 17 year olds, compared with 5% of 11 to 13 year olds) as were those from white ethnic groups, compared with young people from ethnic minority backgrounds (8%, compared with 4%).

The type of betting activities participated in online differed overall according to gender: boys were more likely than girls to place a bet on esports (2%, compared with 1%), and play online games on a casino website (4%, compared with 1%) than girls. However, girls were more likely to play bingo online than boys (2%, compared with 1%).

Online gambling using parent’s or guardian’s accounts

To understand the context in which young people experience online gambling, all young people were asked if they had ever used their parent’s or guardian’s accounts to gamble online, with or without their permission.

Of young people, 4 in 10 (40%) who had played National Lottery draw games or online instant win games did so using a parent's or guardian's account with permission, while 1 in 10 (10%) used an account without permission. Young people who had seen family members gamble were significantly more likely to report unauthorised use of a parent's or guardian's account (16% compared with 3%), suggesting an association between gambling within the family and opportunities for underage gambling participation.

Around 1 in 10 young people (8%) who had played bingo online, esports, betting websites or casino games online used their parent’s or guardian’s accounts without their permission. Those that had seen family members gamble were also more likely to use their parents' or guardians' accounts to play on gambling websites or place bets online without permission (12%, compared with 2%).

Use of parent’s or guardian’s accounts to play National Lottery games online, to play on gambling websites or to place bets online remained consistent year-on-year.

Table 6.4: Online gambling using parent’s or guardian’s accounts 2025 to 2026

GC_PLAYONLINE1. I have used my parent’s and/or guardian’s account to play National Lottery games online.
Base: All participants (answering) who have played National Lottery games online 2025 (198), 2026 (234).
GC_PLAYONLINE2. I have used my parents' and/or guardians' account to play on gambling websites or to place bets online.
Base: All participants (answering) who have played bingo online, esports, betting websites or casino games online 2025 (421), 2026 (343).

Table 6.4: Online gambling using parent’s or guardian’s accounts 2025 to 2026

Used parent’s or guardian’s account to play National Lottery games online	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
With their permission	39%	40%	No significant difference
Without their permission	7%	10%	No significant difference
None of these are true about me	57%	52%	No significant difference
Used parent’s or guardian’s account to play on gambling websites or to place bets online	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
With their permission	31%	29%	No significant difference
Without their permission	7%	8%	No significant difference
None of these are true about me	64%	64%	No significant difference

Lottery play

Experience of lotteries and lottery style games

In the past 12 months, 10% of young people played lotteries or lottery-style games at least once, regardless of whether they spent their own money. Nearly all of those who played lottery games had participated in a National Lottery-branded game (10%). National Lottery Scratchcards were the most popular product (8%), while smaller proportions played the National Lottery draw (3%), National Lottery online instant win games (1%) or other lotteries (1%).

Those aged 15 (12%) and 16 (13%), were more likely to have engaged in lottery-style games than young people overall (10%).

Buying a National Lottery draw ticket or scratchcard

All young people who have played the National Lottery, either through a physical ticket or online, or scratchcard, were then asked how they purchased the ticket the last time they played.

Around 4 in 5 (78%) young people that played the National Lottery draw, reported that someone else purchased the ticket for them. In comparison, 11% had purchased the ticket themselves in a shop.

Among those young people who played National Lottery Scratchcards, 94% reported that someone else had purchased the scratchcard for them, compared with 3% who purchased it themselves in a shop.

Figure 6.3: Buying a National Lottery draw ticket or scratchcard within the past 12 months

Figure 6.3 information

GC_HANDED. Thinking about the last time you played National Lottery draw and/or Scratchcard which statement best describes how you purchased and paid for the item?
GC_HANDED2. Thinking about the last time you played National Lottery Scratchcards (not free Scratchcards) which statement best describes how you purchased and paid for the scratchcard?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have played National Lottery 2026 (149).
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have played National Lottery Scratchcards 2026 (371).

Buying a National Lottery draw ticket or scratchcard within the past 12 months

Buying a National Lottery draw ticket or scratchcard within the past 12 months	2026 (percentage)
	National Lottery scratchcards	National Lottery draw
I purchased the ticket by myself in a shop	3%	11%
Someone else purchased the ticket for me in a shop	94%	78%
The ticket was not purchased in a shop	3%	10%

The way young people accessed National Lottery draw game tickets and scratchcards remained largely unchanged between 2025 and 2026, with no statistically significant differences observed. For both products, only a small minority reported purchasing these products themselves in a shop (11% and 3%, respectively), suggesting that direct retail purchases by young people remain relatively uncommon, while participation most often occurs through adults acting on their behalf.

Table 6.5: Buying a National Lottery draw ticket or scratchcard 2025 to 2026

GC_HANDED1. Thinking about the last time you played National Lottery draw for example Lotto, EuroMillions or Set for Life, either with a physical ticket or playing online which statement best describes how you purchased and paid for the ticket?
GC_HANDED2. Thinking about the last time you played National Lottery Scratchcards (not free Scratchcards) which statement best describes how you purchased and paid for the scratchcard?
Base: All participants (answering) who have played National Lottery draw games 2025 (121), 2026 (149).
Base: All participants (answering) who have played National Lottery Scratchcards 2025 (358), 2026 (371).

Table 6.5: Buying a National Lottery draw ticket or scratchcard 2025 to 2026

How National Lottery draw game tickets were purchased	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Someone else purchased the ticket for me, using my money	79%	78%	No significant difference
I purchased the ticket by myself in a shop	14%	11%	No significant difference
It was not purchased in a shop	7%	10%	No significant difference
How National Lottery scratchcards were purchased	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Someone else purchased the scratchcard for me, using my money	94%	94%	No significant difference
I purchased the scratchcard by myself in a shop	4%	3%	No significant difference
It was not purchased in a shop	3%	3%	No significant difference

Gaming

In this section, the terms ‘loot box’ and ‘surprise box’ were used to describe in game features that, in exchange for real-world money or virtual currency, offer players a randomised item or reward.

Since 2025, minor changes have been made to the wording of questions relating to loot boxes and surprise boxes. In particular, the term ‘loot box’ has been re-introduced alongside ‘surprise box’, reflecting terminology used in previous waves of the survey. The examples of video games included in these questions were also updated to ensure they remained relevant and familiar to respondents. These changes were intended to improve clarity and were not considered substantial enough to affect comparability between the 2025 and 2026 data.

Awareness of paying for in-game items

People who play video games (such as Roblox, Fortnite, FIFA or EA Sports FC, Call of Duty, GTA, Minecraft or Block Blast) can collect in-game items (such as skins, clothes, weapons, accessories, players). Young people who participated in the survey were shown a list of different activities involving in-games items and asked whether they were aware that these activities could take place. These included purchasing virtual items, opening loot boxes or surprise boxes, paying to play casino-style games within a game, and betting with in-game items.

Overall, 82% of young people were aware of at least one of the ways in game items can be used. Young people were most likely to have heard of buying virtual items in games with their own money (80%) and buying virtual items with in-game money without spending real money (79%).

Around three-quarters of young people were aware that you can open virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with in-game money (76%) and open virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with their own money or their parents’ and/or carers money (73%). Less well known were paying to play casino games in an in-game casino (59%) and betting with in-game items on websites outside of the game you are playing (50%), as shown in Figure 6.4

Figure 6.4: Awareness among young people regarding paying for in-game items

Figure 6.4 information

INGAMEAWARE: Which, if any, of these were you aware of before today?
Base per statement 2026: Buying virtual items in games with your own money (3,656), Buying virtual items with in-game money without spending your own money (3,658), Opening virtual surprise boxes with in-game money (3,649), Opening virtual surprise boxes with your own money or your parents’ and/or carers’ money (3,656), Paying to play casino games in an in-game casino (3,654), Betting with in-game items on websites outside of the game you are playing (3,642).

Awareness among young people regarding paying for in-game items

Awareness among young people regarding paying for in-game items	2026 (percentage) (This shows responses to 2 separate questions and so totals will not add up to 100%)
	Aware	Not aware	Do not know
Buying virtual items in games with your own money	80%	6%	13%
Buying virtual items with in-game money without spending your own money	79%	7%	14%
Opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with in-game money	76%	9%	16%
Opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with your own money or your parents’ and/or carers’ money	73%	10%	16%
Paying to play casino games in an in-game casino	59%	20%	21%
Betting with in-game items on websites outside of the game you are playing	50%	26%	24%

Awareness of in-game items was consistently higher among boys (86%, compared with 78% of girls), older groups (85% of 14 to 17 year olds, compared with 78% of 11 to 13 year olds), those who feel informed about gambling (89%, compared with 69% who are not) young people who considered themselves risk-takers (87%, compared with 86% overall and 83% among those who did not consider themselves risk-takers), and young people who had seen family members gamble (88%, compared with 83% of those who had not).

Similar patterns were evident across individual in-game items. Boys and older young people were more likely to be aware of buying virtual items, opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes, paying to play casino games in an in-game casino, and betting with in-game items on websites outside the game being played. Awareness was also consistently higher among young people who were actively involved in gambling, those who considered themselves risk-takers and those who felt informed about gambling.

Young people who use in-game items

Young people who were aware of the different ways in-game items can be used were then asked whether they had personally bought, opened, paid to play with, or bet with any of these items. The majority (84%) reported having engaged in at least one of these activities, indicating that most young people who were aware of in-game items had direct experience of using them.

The findings suggest that young people's engagement with in-game items is primarily concentrated around activities that use either in-game currency or involve purchasing virtual items directly. The most common activities were buying virtual items with in-game money (65%), purchasing virtual items using real money (60%), and opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with in-game currency (54%). This indicates that interactions with in-game items were most often linked to gameplay enhancement or cosmetic purchases rather than gambling-like activities.

In contrast, activities that involve greater financial commitment or stronger gambling-related characteristics were less common. Among young people who had heard of in game item activities, just over a quarter (27%) reported opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes using real money, while only small minorities had paid to play casino-style games within a game (8%) or used in-game items to place bets on external websites (5%).

As shown in the following table, engagement with in-game items has remained consistent over time.

Table 6.6: Opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with own money 2025 to 2026

INGAMEUSED: Which, if any, of the following have you personally done?
Base: All participants (answering) who have heard of in game items 2025 (2,827), 2026 (2,975).

Table 6.6: Opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with own money 2025 to 2026

Use of in-game items	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Bought virtual items with in-game money without spending any real money	64%	65%	No significant difference
Bought virtual items in games with your own money (for example pocket money, gift cards) or your parent and/or carers’ money	60%	60%	No significant difference
Opened virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with in-game money	55%	54%	No significant difference
Opened virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with your own money	26%	27%	No significant difference
Paying to play casino games in an in-game casino	9%	8%	No significant difference
Betting with in-game items on websites outside of the game you are playing	6%	5%	No significant difference
Ever used in-game items	82%	84%	Significant increase

There were consistent differences across key sub-groups:

• boys were more likely than girls to have ever used in-game items (90%, compared with 77% of girls)
• young people who considered themselves risk-takers were also more likely to have used in-game items (88%, compared with 79% of non-risk takers), as were young people who had seen family members gamble (87%, compared with 81% of those who had not)
• young people who were actively involved in gambling in the last 12 months were more likely to have used in-game items than young people overall (87%, compared with 84% overall).

Young people who open virtual boxes with their own money

As previously noted, activities that involve greater financial commitment or stronger gambling-related characteristics were less common. Among young people who had heard of in-game item activities, just over a quarter (27%) reported opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes using real money.

When based on all young people aged 11 to 17 taking part in the survey, including those who had not heard of these activities, the proportion falls to 22%. This provides an indication of the prevalence of opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with real money across the wider population of young people.

Table 6.7: Opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with own money 2025 to 2026

INGAMEUSED: Which, if any, of the following have you personally done?
Base: All participants (answering) who have heard of in game items 2025 (2,827), 2026 (2,975).
Base: All participants (answering), 2025 (3,666), 2026 (3,716).

Table 6.7: Opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with own money 2025 to 2026

Opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with own money	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Among young people who had heard of in-game item activities	26%	27%	No significant difference
Among all young people aged 11 to 17	21%	22%	No significant difference

How young people buy virtual items

Overall, the most popular methods used by young people to buy virtual items in-game were using money from their own bank account (58%) or a gift card (57%), followed by using virtual currency bought with money (45%).

The most popular way of buying virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes was using money from their own bank account (64%), followed by a gift card (54%) and virtual currency bought with money (52%).

A similar pattern was observed for the purchase of virtual surprise boxes, with nearly two-thirds (64%) using money from their own bank account, while over half used gift cards (54%) or virtual currency bought with money (52%).

The findings indicate that direct payment methods were the primary means through which young people purchase both virtual items and virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes, although the use of purchased virtual currency was slightly more common for loot boxes or surprise boxes than for virtual items overall.

The modes of payment used to buy virtual items vary by age, with older groups (14 to 17 year olds) most likely to buy virtual items using money from their own bank account (64%, compared with 48% of 11 to 13 year olds), whereas younger groups were most likely to pay for items using a gift card (61%, compared with 55% of 14 to 17 year olds).

Perspectives on gambling: Awareness, attitudes and behaviours

Summary

This section examines young people's attitudes towards gambling, exploring whether they feel informed about gambling, and the risks associated with gambling, self-identification as risk-takers, and the reasons some choose not to engage in gambling.

Most young people (81%) feel well-informed about the risks associated with gambling, while around two-thirds (68%) report that the potential problems of gambling have been discussed with them.

The most common reasons why young people do not gamble were a lack of interest, mentioned by 44%, and because it is illegal for someone of their age, mentioned by 40%.

Around 3 in 10 (29%) consider themselves risk-takers, with boys and older teens aged 14 to 17 more likely to identify with this description. Notably, 38% of those spending their own money on gambling see themselves as risk-takers, significantly higher than the overall average.

Feeling informed about gambling

Young people were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with 2 statements to understand the extent to which they feel informed about the risks of gambling and to explore whether anyone has ever spoken to them about the potential problems gambling to lead to.

Young people generally felt well informed about the risks of gambling, with more than 4 in 5 (81%) agreeing. Notably, almost half (47%) strongly agreed with the statement, while only 4% disagreed that they were well informed.

Young people aged 14 to 17 were more likely than those aged 11 to 13 to agree that they felt well informed about the risks of gambling (85%, compared with 77%). There was also a difference regionally, as young people in Scotland were more likely than those in England and Wales to agree that they felt well informed about the risks of gambling (85%, compared with 81% in England and 75% in Wales).

Table 7.1: Feeling informed about the risks of gambling within past 12 months

GC_ATTINF. Thinking about gambling for money, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the statement below?
Base: All participants (answering) 'I feel well informed about the risks of gambling' 2026 (3,737).

Table 7.1: Feeling informed about the risks of gambling within past 12 months

I feel well informed about the risks of gambling	2026 (percentage)
Strongly agree and agree (net)	81%
Strongly agree	47%
Agree	34%
Neither agree nor disagree	7%
Disagree	2%
Strongly disagree	2%
Do not know	8%

Speaking to someone about gambling problems

Just over two-thirds (68%) of young people agreed that someone had spoken to them about the potential problems that gambling can lead to, 35% of whom strongly agreed. In contrast, 9% disagreed, highlighting that a minority of young people may not have been exposed to conversations about gambling risks.

There was no variation by gender in whether young people reported that people had spoken to them about the potential problems that gambling can lead to. However, the likelihood of having these conversations increased with age. Young people aged 14 to 17 were more likely than those aged 11 to 13 to agree that people had spoken to them about these issues (72%, compared with 64%). This pattern was particularly evident among 16 year olds, who were more likely report having had these conversations (74%, compared with 68% overall).

Table 7.2: Speaking to someone about gambling within past 12 months

GC_ATTSPOKEN. Thinking about gambling for money, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the statement below?
Base: All participants (answering) 'People have spoken to me about the potential problems that gambling can lead to' 2026 (3,732).

Table 7.2: Speaking to someone about gambling within past 12 months

People have spoken to me about the potential problems that gambling can lead to	2026 (percentage)
Strongly agree	35%
Agree	33%
Neither agree nor disagree	11%
Disagree	7%
Strongly disagree	2%
Do not know	11%

Feeling informed about gambling: 2025 to 2026

Overall, findings were largely unchanged from 2025. While there was a small but statistically significant decrease in the proportion of young people who felt well informed about the risks of gambling (81% compared with 83%), levels of agreement remained high. Reports of having spoken to someone about the potential problems associated with gambling were stable, with 68% agreeing in both years.

Table 7.3 Feeling informed about gambling 2025 to 2026

GC_ATTINF and GC_ATTSPOKEN. Thinking about gambling for money, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the statements below?
Base: All participants (answering) 'I feel well informed about the risks of gambling' 2025 (3,552) 2026 (3,737).
Base: All participants (answering) 'People have spoken to me about the potential problems that gambling can lead to' 2025 (3,539) 2026 (3,732).

Table 7:3 Feeling informed about gambling 2025 to 2026

I feel well informed about the risks of gambling	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Strongly agree	51%	47%	Significant decrease
Agree	32%	34%	No significant difference
Neither agree or disagree	5%	7%	Significant increase
Disagree	3%	2%	Significant decrease
Strongly disagree	1%	2%	Significant increase
Do not know	8%	8%	No significant difference
Net agree	83%	81%	Significant decrease
People have spoken to me about the potential problems that gambling can lead to	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Strongly agree	36%	35%	No significant difference
Agree	32%	33%	No significant difference
Neither agree or disagree	10%	11%	No significant difference
Disagree	8%	7%	No significant difference
Strongly disagree	3%	2%	Significant decrease
Do not know	12%	11%	No significant difference
Net agree	68%	68%	No significant difference

Reasons why young people do not gamble

Young people who had never spent their own money on gambling (including those who had never participated in any gambling activities) were asked why.

The findings suggest that non-participation in gambling among young people is driven primarily by a lack of interest rather than a lack of knowledge. The most common reasons given were that gambling is not something they are interested in (44%), followed by it being illegal for someone of their age or they are too young (40%). Around 3 in 10 said their parents would not want them to gamble (31%), whilst a similar proportion said they would rather play free games than gamble with real money (30%).

Concerns about potential harm (26%), losing money (25%), and moral objections to gambling (24%) were also commonly reported, indicating that both practical and attitudinal factors contribute to young people's decisions not to gamble.

Figure 7.1 provides a more detailed look at the reasons young people select for not gambling.

Figure 7.1: Reasons for not gambling within the past 12 months

Figure 7.1 information

GC_NEVER: You said that you have never gambled or never spent your own money on gambling. Why is that?
Base: All participants (answering) who have never spent their own money on gambling 2026 (2,328).
Note: This is a multiple response questions, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.

Reasons for not gambling within the past 12 months

Reasons for not gambling	2026 (percentage) (multiple response question, therefore, answers do not sum to 100%)
It is not something I am interested in	44%
It is illegal or I am too young to do this	40%
My parents would not want to me or allow me to	31%
I do not want to play with real money or I would rather play free games	30%
Because it might lead to future problems	26%
Because I will lose more than I will win	25%
I do not agree with gambling or it is not right	24%
Because I am not likely to win money	22%
It is against my religion	12%
I do not know enough about these gambling games	12%
Other	5%
Do not know	8%

Girls were more likely to say that gambling is not something they are interested in than boys (50%, compared with 38%). Boys were more likely than girls to express concerns about the financial aspect of losing more than they win (27%, compared with 21%). Boys were also more concerned about parental and societal pressures in the form of parents not allowing them to gamble (33%, compared with 27%), the potential for future problems (29%, compared with 21%) and gambling being against their religion (15%, compared with 9%).

Age differences were also apparent, with older groups (aged 14 to 17) more likely to say gambling is not something they are interested in (47%, compared with 40% of 11 to 13 year olds) or express concern about losing more money than they will win (26%, compared with 22%). In contrast, those aged 11 to 13 were more likely to say that their parents would not want or allow them to gamble (34%, compared with 27% of 14 to 17 year olds) or to state that they do not agree with gambling (27%, compared with 21%).

The reasons for not gambling differ depending on whether young people have seen a family member gamble. Those who have seen family members gamble give their reasons in monetary terms, such as winning and losing money. They are more likely to say they do not gamble because they are not likely to win money (26%, compared with 20%). In contrast, young people who have not seen a family member gamble are more likely to cite a general lack of interest in gambling (50%, compared with 38%). They are also more likely to say that gambling might lead to future problems (29%, compared with 22%), that they do not agree with gambling or feel it is not right (31%, compared with 16%), and that it is against their religion (19%, compared with 3%).

Most reasons for not gambling were cited more frequently in 2026 than in 2025, notably a preference for playing free games, parental disapproval, concerns about future problems, and the likelihood of losing money or not winning money. Given the increase in the proportion of young people who reported not gambling, these changes may partly reflect a larger and potentially more diverse group of non-gamblers, rather than a change in any single attitude towards gambling.

Table 7.4: Reasons for not gambling 2025 to 2026

GC_NEVER: You said that you have never gambled or never spent your own money on gambling. Why is that?
Base: All participants (answering) who have never spent their own money on gambling 2025 (2,000) 2026 (2,328).

Table 7.4: Reasons for not gambling 2025 to 2026

Reasons for not gambling	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
It is not something I am interested in	40%	44%	Significant increase
It is illegal or I am too young to do this	36%	40%	Significant increase
I do not want to play with real money or I would rather play free games	22%	30%	Significant increase
My parents would not want to me or allow me to	24%	31%	Significant increase
I do not agree with gambling or it is not right	21%	24%	Significant increase
Because it might lead to future problems	19%	26%	Significant increase
Because I will lose more than I will win	17%	25%	Significant increase
Because I am not likely to win money	15%	22%	Significant increase
It is against my religion	18%	12%	Significant decrease
I do not know enough about these gambling games	10%	12%	Significant increase
Other	5%	5%	No significant difference
Do not know	11%	8%	Significant decrease

Young people who consider themselves risk-takers

Young people were asked about their attitudes to risk-taking in general. They were asked to consider the extent to which they agreed or disagreed that they were a risk-taker and whether they liked the feeling that comes with taking risks.

Equal proportions agreed and disagreed with the statement ‘I consider myself a risk taker’ (both 29%). A further 30% were unsure suggesting that the young people surveyed were evenly divided between those who identify as risk-takers, those who do not, and those who are uncertain.

Boys were more likely than girls to say they are a risk-taker (37%, compared with 21%). Those aged 14 to 17 were also more likely to say they were risk-takers than those aged 11 to 13 (32%, compared with 26%).

The survey findings indicate that 2 in 5 (38%) young people who spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months consider themselves a risk-taker, compared with 29% overall. Furthermore, young people who have scored 2 to 3 on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) screen were more likely to agree that they consider themselves to be a risk-taker than young people overall (65%, compared with 29%, overall).

Young people were more likely to disagree with the statement ‘I like the feeling that comes with taking risks’ than agree (36%, compared with 25%). Over a quarter (27%) are unsure either way. Boys were more likely to agree that they enjoyed the feeling of taking risks than girls (31%, compared with 17%). Young people aged 14 to 17 were also more likely to agree that they enjoy the feeling of taking risks than those aged 11 to 13 (28%, compared with 21%).

The findings also show that young people who scored either 2 or 3 on the DSM-IV-MR-J screen were more likely to agree they like the feeling that comes with taking risks than young people overall (69%, compared with 25%, overall).

Figure 7.2: Those who consider themselves a risk-taker and like the feeling that comes with taking risks within the past 12 months

Figure 7.2 information

GC_RISK: How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements? ‘I consider myself a risk-taker.’ ‘I like the feeling that comes with taking risks.’
Base: All participants answering 'I consider myself a risk-taker' 2026 (3,738), 'I like the feeling that comes with taking risks' 2026 (3,734).

Those who consider themselves a risk-taker and like the feeling that comes with taking risks within the past 12 months

Those who consider themselves a risk-taker and like the feeling that comes with taking risks within the past 12 months	I consider myself a risk taker 2026 (percentage)	I like the feeling that comes with taking risks 2026 (percentage)
Strongly agree	10%	9%
Agree	19%	16%
Neither agree or disagree	30%	27%
Disagree	21%	24%
Strongly disagree	8%	12%
Do not know	11%	12%
Net agree	29%	25%
Net disagree	29%	36%

Attitudes to risk-taking remain broadly stable. The proportion who considered themselves risk-takers was unchanged, and there was a small decrease in the proportion who reported enjoying the feeling associated with taking risks.

Table 7.5: Attitudes to risk taking 2025 to 2026

GC_RISK: How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements? ‘I consider myself a risk-taker.’
Base: All participants answering 'I consider myself a risk-taker' 2025 (3,564), 2026 (3,738).
GC_RISK: How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements? ‘I like the feeling that comes with taking risks.’
Base: All participants answering 'I like the feeling that comes with taking risks' 2025 (3,564) 2026 (3,734).

Table 7.5: Attitudes to risk taking 2025 to 2026

Those who consider themselves a risk-taker	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Strongly agree	11%	10%	No significant difference
Agree	20%	19%	No significant difference
Neither agree or disagree	35%	30%	Significant decrease
Disagree	16%	21%	Significant increase
Strongly disagree	8%	11%	Significant increase
Do not know	9%	8%	No significant difference
Net agree	31%	29%	No significant difference
Those who like the feeling that comes with taking risks	2025 (percentage)	2026 (percentage)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Strongly agree	11%	9%	Significant decrease
Agree	18%	16%	Significant decrease
Neither agree or disagree	27%	27%	No significant difference
Disagree	21%	24%	Significant increase
Strongly disagree	13%	12%	No significant difference
Do not know	10%	12%	Significant increase
Net agree	29%	25%	Significant decrease

Appendices

Introduction

This technical appendix provides further information on the background, design and methodology of the 2026 Young People and Gambling Survey. It explains how the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) youth-adapted screening instrument is applied and provides details of the research design, sampling approach, recruitment of schools, response rate, survey administration, quality-assurance procedures, weighting strategy, statistical reliability and achieved sample profile. It also sets out the gambling activities included in the survey and defines the key terms used throughout the main report. This information is intended to support readers in understanding the strengths and limitations of the study and interpreting the findings appropriately.

The DSM-IV-MR-J problem gambler screen

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) screen is applied to assess whether respondents who gamble are defined as experiencing ‘problems’ with their gambling. In the adolescent gambling field, this is one of the most widely used instruments to assess experience of ‘problem’ gambling among this age group. For more information see Fisher, S (2000). Developing the DSM-IV Criteria to Identify Adolescent Problem Gambling in Non-Clinical Populations, Journal of Gambling Studies Volume 16 No. 2/3 (opens in new tab).

Eligibility for the DSM-IV-MR-J screen

A 2-step eligibility criteria were used in applying the DSM-IV-MR-J screen. Firstly, respondents had to indicate that they had spent their own money on at least one gambling activity on at least one occasion in the last 12 months to answer the 9 criteria of the problem gambling screener. A full list of gambling activities can be found in Table A.1. Secondly, young people who answered ‘prefer not to say’ throughout the gambling screen were excluded.

In total, 1,002 individuals qualified for the DSM-IV-MR-J screen. Bases may vary slightly between the 9 criteria because some respondents did not answer every question.

Points were then allocated to each respondent based on the answers they gave to the 9 criteria (or questions) as set out in Table A.1. The points were then summed to produce an overall score, which was used to classify respondents into one of the following DSM-IV-MR-J categories.

The screen questions use frequency scales of ‘Never’, ‘Once or twice’, ‘Sometimes’ or ‘Often’. Each respondent was allocated a point for each of the 9 criteria that they met. Scores are grouped into the following categories:

DSM-IV-MR-J score 0 or 1: Representing a young person who does not experience any ‘problems’ with their gambling.

DSM-IV-MR-J score 2 or 3: Representing a young person who is ‘at-risk’.

DSM-IV-MR-J score 4 or more: Representing a young person experiencing ‘problems’ with their gambling.

These categories are derived from scores on the DSM-IV-MR-J screening tool, which is designed to identify indicators of gambling-related risk among young people. The measure is a screening instrument rather than a clinical diagnostic tool, and results should not be interpreted as a clinical diagnosis nor should it be confused with a measure of addiction. As the DSM-IV-MR-J has been specifically adapted for adolescent populations, including age-appropriate behaviours and scoring thresholds, findings are not directly comparable with either the adult DSM-IV measure or the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) commonly used in adult surveys.

Table A.1 indicates how the questions asked in 2026 mapped onto the DSM-IV-MR-J screen components and the percentage of young people who gave the required answers to each question when the scoring system was applied to the data.

Table A.1: Gambling criteria from the DSM-IV-MR-J screen

Table A.1: Gambling criteria from the DSM-IV-MR-J screen

2026 question name	DSM-IV criteria	Question wording: ‘In the past 12 months...’	If any of the following answer criteria are ticked, that qualifies as 1 point	Young people scoring
				Percentage	Number of participants
GC_PREOCC	Pre-occupation	How often have you found yourself thinking about gambling or planning to gamble	‘Often’	1%	(49)
GC_ESCAPE	Escape	How often have you gambled to help you escape from problems or when you are feeling bad	‘Sometimes’ or ‘often’	1%	(33)
GC_WITHD	Withdrawal	Have you felt bad or fed up when trying to cut down on gambling	‘Sometimes’ or ‘often’	1%	(30)
GC_TOLERNCE	Tolerance	Have you needed to gamble with more and more money to get the amount of excitement you want	‘Sometimes’ or ‘often’	1%	(49)
GC_LOSSCON	Loss of control	Have you ever spent much more than you planned to on gambling	‘Often’	1%	(25)
GC_ILLEGAL	Taken money	Have you ever taken money from any of the following without permission to spend on gambling: dinner money or fare money, money from family, money from things you’ve sold, money from outside the family, somewhere else	If any one or more of these options are ticked, then qualifies for one point in total	2%	(84)
GC_LEDRISKEDFAM and GC_LEDRISKEDSCHL	Risked relationships	Has your gambling ever led to the following: a) arguments with family or friends or others, b) missing school	If any of the following are ticked, then qualifies for one point in total: ‘once or twice’, ‘sometimes’ or ‘often’	2% 1%	(71) (29)
GC_LEDLYING	Lying	Has your gambling ever led to telling lies to family or friends or others	‘Once or twice’ ‘sometimes’ or ‘often’	2%	(62)
GC_CHASING	Chasing	After losing money by gambling, have you returned another day to try to win back the money you lost	‘More than half the time’ or ‘every time’	1%	(44)

All percentages shown are based on the full sample of 3,867 11 to 17 year olds. Percentages and numbers shown in table A.1 are based on weighted data.

Interpretating information derived from the DSM-IV-MR-J gambler screen

Eligibility for the DSM-IV-MR-J screen is based on whether a young person reported spending their own money on at least one gambling activity during the previous 12 months. It is not based on how frequently or how recently within that period they gambled. A young person may therefore report relatively low levels of recent participation, including no gambling during the previous 7 days, while still being eligible to complete the screen and potentially meeting the criteria for a DSM-IV-MR-J classification. This reflects the purpose of the screen, which is to identify reported behaviours and experiences associated with gambling-related difficulties, rather than to measure the frequency or volume of gambling participation.

The eligibility criteria also do not distinguish between age-restricted and non-age-restricted gambling activities. Young people may be eligible for the screen after spending their own money on any of the 17 gambling activities included in the survey, including activities that are not age-restricted, such as playing arcade gaming machines or betting privately with friends or family. This is because the screen is intended to identify reported behaviours and consequences associated with gambling, rather than compliance with age-based legal restrictions. A young person may report the behaviours or consequences captured by the DSM-IV-MR-J regardless of whether the activity itself is one they are legally permitted to undertake.

The resulting classifications should be interpreted alongside information about the young person’s gambling participation and other relevant contextual measures. Young people within the same scoring category may differ in the number and types of gambling activities they report, the frequency and recency of their participation, and the particular criteria contributing to their score. A classification should not therefore be interpreted as indicating that all young people within that category have similar patterns of gambling involvement or experience the same nature or severity of gambling-related difficulties.

The DSM-IV-MR-J is a recognised youth-adapted screening instrument, rather than a clinical diagnostic tool. Its classifications are derived from young people’s self-reported responses and are not equivalent to a clinical diagnosis. As the screening instrument was specifically adapted for young people and uses age-appropriate behaviours and scoring thresholds, findings are not directly comparable with the adult DSM-IV measure or the PGSI commonly used in adult surveys.

Research design

Trend data

Since 2011, the Gambling Commission and Ipsos have conducted an annual survey into the gambling behaviours of young people in Great Britain. This report delivers the results from the 2026 survey, which explores 11 to 17 year olds current rates of experience in gambling.

The trend analysis presented in this report covers the period from 2022 to 2026. Changes made to the questionnaire before the 2022 survey mean that findings collected before 2022 are not directly comparable with those from the current survey. The 2022 survey is therefore used as the starting point for the trend analysis. When interpreting these trends, it should also be noted that the survey was extended in 2023 to include 17 year olds and independent schools.

A further methodological consideration for trend analysis is that the 2026 survey was conducted as a standalone study, whereas previous waves formed part of a wider multi-client young people's omnibus survey. To mitigate potential context effects, the Commission questions were consistently positioned towards the start of the omnibus questionnaire, limiting the likelihood that responses were influenced by questions asked for other clients.

The sampling approach, survey administration and overall methodology remained unchanged; however, respondents in 2026 were asked exclusively Commission questions, rather than a broader questionnaire incorporating modules from multiple public sector clients. While there is no evidence that this change materially affected the findings, the difference in survey context should be considered when interpreting comparisons over time.

The annual survey datasets are designed to support comparisons between separately weighted estimates for each survey year. As each dataset has been weighted independently to reflect the population and survey design applicable to that year, no common weighting variable is available to produce representative estimates from an aggregated, multi-year dataset. Combining the datasets without developing and validating an appropriate pooled weighting approach could give disproportionate influence to particular years and produce estimates that do not represent a clearly defined population. Trends should therefore be examined using the separately weighted annual estimates presented in the report.

Sampling

The Young People and Gambling Survey is a survey of young people attending secondary schools in England, Wales and Scotland. The survey covers pupils in curriculum years 7 to 12 (S1 to S6 in Scotland).

The survey invites pupils to take part who are attending academies (public funded schools held accountable through a legally binding ‘funding agreement’ in England) and maintained (overseen, or ‘maintained’ by the Local Authority) secondary and middle-deemed secondary schools in England, Wales and Scotland. From 2023 the survey also invited independent schools (schools who charge fees to attend instead of being funded by the government and do not have to follow the national curriculum) to participate.

To enable this a 3 stage sampling process was used:

1. In England and Wales, a sample of schools was selected from Department for Education’s ‘Get Information About Schools (opens in new tab)’ database (a comprehensive listing of secondary schools in England and Wales). Special schools were excluded, as were institutions that do not complete the school census.
   The sample frame was stratified by Government Office Region (GOR), and, within each stratum, schools were selected proportional to the number of pupils attending the school. In England and Wales, a sample of 538 middle deemed schools were selected to participate in the survey. In Scotland, a sample of 48 schools were selected from the Scottish Government’s school contacts database. The sample was stratified by local authority and school size. Therefore, in total, 586 schools were selected to participate in the survey.
2. Three curriculum year groups (between Year 7 and Year 12 for England and Wales and between S1 and S6 in Scotland) were selected at random for each school.
3. Schools were also given the opportunity to provide additional classes and year groups. All members of the randomly selected class group were selected to fill out the self-completion survey.

Recruiting schools

Advance packs

All schools in the main sample for England and Wales received an invitation pack between December 2025 and January 2026. The pack included a letter informing them about the survey, a leaflet containing more information on how the data is used and contact details for the Ipsos recruitment team. The packs are addressed to a named head teacher.

In Scotland, the first step was to send a letter to local authorities which contain schools in the sample frame. Local authorities were informed about the survey and given the option to opt out of the research, on behalf of schools in their area. In total 26 Scottish local authorities were contacted, and 3 opted out of the survey. Selected schools in the remaining 23 local authorities were then sent the invitation letter and information sheet.

Contacting schools

In December 2025, the Ipsos research team conducted a briefing session with our school recruitment team to provide information about the survey content, to update them of any changes, and share ideas and tips for encouraging participation.

Members of the school recruitment team were each allocated a batch of schools to contact, which contained a mix of regions (to avoid bias). The sample included contact details for the school. Where possible, recruiters sought to enrich this by looking at the school website to try and obtain a named contact or direct email address.

Recruiters made contact with all schools in their sample to:

1. gain headteacher consent for the school to participate
2. collect contact details for a liaison person within the school (usually the teacher for a selected class)
3. select one mixed ability class from each nominated curriculum year group for the school
4. arrange a time and date when each class will take part in the online survey.

Recruiters managed this process by using an electronic booking system, which the research team also access to monitor the response rates.

Table A.2 provides details of the number of telephone calls that recruiters made to individual schools:

Table A.2: Number of telephone calls for purposes of school recruitment

Table A.2: Number of telephone calls for purposes of school recruitment.

Number of calls made	Number of schools
Under 5	260
5 to 10	157
Over 10	123

Of the schools who did refuse to take part, the most common reason given was that they were too busy to participate in the survey.

Incentives have become an essential addition to protecting the response rates to the survey. They also help encourage schools to choose to participate in the Young People and Gambling Survey over other surveys, which offer cash incentives. In 2026, all schools participating in the Young People and Gambling Survey were offered a £150 cash incentive. Schools were also given a teaching pack, containing data and example exercises to use in their classes and a lesson plan and resources developed by the PSHE Association.

Administering the survey

Once a school had agreed to participate, the nominated school liaison received a confirmation email containing the school’s individual online survey link, a template letter for parents and carers, and instructions for administering the survey. The instructions explained the arrangements for completing the questionnaire and the role of school staff during the survey session.

Pupils completed the online self-completion questionnaire during a timetabled session in school. School staff were asked to ensure that pupils completed the survey independently and in silence, without discussing the questions or conferring on their answers. These instructions were intended to reduce the potential for pupils’ answers to be influenced by their peers and to support the privacy of individual responses.

School staff oversaw the survey session and could provide practical support where necessary. However, pupils were expected to interpret and answer the survey questions themselves. The online self-completion approach meant that pupils did not have to disclose potentially sensitive behaviours directly to a teacher or interviewer, helping to reduce social desirability pressures and encourage candid responses.

Participation was voluntary and pupils could choose not to answer individual questions or stop completing the questionnaire. Information provided to schools also included a template letter through which parents and carers could be informed about the survey.

Although these procedures were designed to support independent and private completion, the survey was administered by school staff in different classroom settings. Ipsos researchers were not present during each survey session and could not independently verify that the administration instructions were followed in precisely the same way in every participating school.

Fieldwork for the study was conducted from 12 January to 12 June 2026.

Response rate

In total, from a sample frame of 586 schools in England, Scotland and Wales, 59 took part in the 2026 survey, giving a response rate of 10%. Overall, 3,867 pupils aged 11 to 17 years old from the 59 schools completed the Commission section of the survey online, representing an average of 66 pupils per school.

Quality assurance

A number of checks were undertaken at key stages of the 2026 Young People and Gambling Survey, including during the sample preparation and data cleaning stages. These help to identify obvious errors in the sample and response data, such as the inclusion of ineligible respondents.

Checks at the sampling stage

The school sample was checked against the agreed sample specification before recruitment began. These checks included:

• confirming that school and contact information was present, including school name, postcode, headteacher name and email address
• comparing the distribution of sampled schools across England, Scotland and Wales to the population by Government Office Region and school type
• confirming that ineligible establishments, including primary schools, special schools, pupil referral units and schools outside Great Britain, had been excluded
• checking for small establishments that did not contain sufficient numbers of eligible pupils to participate
• checking schools’ statutory lower and upper age ranges to confirm that they included pupils eligible for the survey
• confirming that sampled schools were recorded as open and were not scheduled to close before the end of the fieldwork period.

Once the school sample had passed these checks, additional preparation checks were undertaken before it was issued for recruitment and fieldwork. These included:

• assigning each school a unique 5-digit identification number
• selecting 3 eligible curriculum year groups for each sampled school
• checking each selected year group against the school’s statutory lower and upper age limits
• checking that the selected year groups were distributed approximately evenly across the sample.

Checks during fieldwork

Fieldwork progress and incoming survey data were monitored regularly throughout the fieldwork period. These checks were intended to identify operational or questionnaire issues at an early stage so that they could be investigated and addressed where necessary. They included:

• monitoring whether participating schools completed the survey on or close to their scheduled fieldwork dates
• following up with schools that missed appointments or had not generated the expected number of pupil responses
• reviewing questionnaire completion and dropout rates to identify whether pupils were disproportionately leaving the survey at particular questions or sections
• monitoring interview duration and the overall time pupils took to complete the questionnaire
• checking whether questionnaire routing appeared to be operating as intended
• reviewing incoming data for indications of technical problems affecting access to or completion of the online questionnaire
• reviewing responses to open-ended questions to identify any potential safeguarding concerns raised by pupils
• reviewing feedback from schools and the recruitment and fieldwork teams for any recurring issues that required investigation.

Any issues identified through these checks were reviewed by the research team and acted upon as appropriate. Issues relating to school participation and survey administration were followed up through the recruitment team, while technical or questionnaire-related issues were investigated and addressed by the online survey team.

Checks at the data preparation stage

Following fieldwork, a series of data quality checks were carried out. These checks, as set out in the following, ensured that the dataset was complete and consistent, that the questionnaire worked as intended, and that any potentially poor-quality responses were identified and reviewed:

• confirming that question wording and response codes had been transferred accurately from the final questionnaire into the survey dataset and supporting documentation
• checking that questionnaire routing had operated correctly and that the bases for routed questions were consistent with the intended survey logic
• removing records where the respondent had not progressed far enough through the questionnaire to reach the agreed minimum completion point of GC_RISK
• reviewing questionnaires completed in less than 5 minutes alongside the respondent's route through the questionnaire, gambling experience and response patterns, recognising that young people who had not gambled were asked fewer questions and could therefore complete the survey more quickly
• identifying respondents who selected every gambling activity at the question measuring experience of and spending on gambling, and reviewing these records against other indicators of response quality including survey completion time, repeated selection of the same response option, extensive use of ‘prefer not to say’, responses to open-ended questions and consistency across related questions
• reviewing responses to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) screen for unusual patterns, including respondents selecting the same response option throughout
• identifying respondents who selected ‘prefer not to say’ consistently across the questionnaire
• reviewing all free-text responses to identify possible safeguarding concerns
• triangulating potential data-quality concerns across interview duration, questionnaire responses, routing, straight-lining, use of ‘prefer not to say’ and free-text responses.

Records were not excluded solely because they triggered one automated or individual check. Potential data-quality issues were considered across the respondent’s questionnaire as a whole. Responses were also not removed solely because an individual answer appeared unusual, surprising or unlikely. Such a response may still reflect the respondent’s reported experience and removing it on the basis of perceived plausibility alone could introduce subjective researcher judgement and bias into the data-cleaning process. Instead, unusual responses were reviewed alongside other indicators of response quality as mentioned above. Records were removed only where the combined evidence indicated that the response was incomplete, ineligible or insufficiently reliable for inclusion in the final dataset.

Following the completion of these checks, the cleaned dataset and derived variables were reviewed before the production of the final weighted data and reporting outputs.

Weighting

Data is weighted by gender, age and region. The weights were derived from data supplied by the following sources:

• for England, the Department for Education: ‘Schools pupils and their characteristics 2026 – national tables’ (opens in new tab)
• for Wales, StatsWales (opens in new tab)
• for Scotland, Scottish Government’s school contacts database (opens in new tab).

Statistical reliability

The respondents to the questionnaire are only samples of the total population, so we cannot be certain that the figures obtained are exactly those we would have if everybody had been interviewed (the true values). We can, however, predict the variation between the sample results and the true values from knowledge of the size of the samples on which the results are based and the number of times that a particular answer is given. The confidence with which we can make this prediction is usually chosen to be 95% - that is, the chances are 95 in 100 that the true value will fall within a specified range. Table A.3 illustrates the predicted ranges for different sample sizes and percentage results at the 95% confidence interval.

Table A.3: Approximate sampling tolerances by sample size

Table A.3: Approximate sampling tolerances by sample size.

Size of sample on which survey results is based	Approximate sampling tolerances applicable to percentages at or near these levels
	10 or 90%	30 or 70%	50%
	Plus or minus	Plus or minus	Plus or minus
35 interviews (all who have a score of 4 or more on the DSM-IV-MR-J)	10	15	17
101 interviews (all who have placed a bet on esports)	6	9	10
551 interviews (all who follow gambling related content on social media or streaming platforms)	3	4	4
1,002 interviews (all who have gambled in the last 12 months with their own money)	2	3	3
3,867 interviews (Young People and Gambling Survey respondents, 2026)	1	1	2

For example, with a sample of 3,867 where 10% give a particular answer, the chances are 95 in 100 that the 'true' value (which would have been obtained if the entire population had been interviewed) will fall within the range of plus or minus 3 percentage points from the sample result. As shown in table A.3 small sample sizes reduce the certainty of that the figures obtained are exactly those we would have if everybody had been interviewed, with a sample of 35 respondents where 50% give a particular answer, the chances are 95 in 100 that the 'true' value (which would have been obtained if the whole population had been interviewed) will fall within the range of plus or minus 17 percentage points from the sample result.

Strictly speaking, the tolerances shown here apply only to pure random samples, although they offer an approximation for the complex design used by the current study.

When results are compared between separate groups within a sample, different results may be obtained. The difference may be 'real', or it may occur by chance (because not everyone in the population has been interviewed). To test if the difference is a real one - such as if it is 'statistically significant', we again must know the size of the samples, the percentage giving a certain answer and the degree of confidence chosen. If we assume the '95% confidence interval', the differences between the 2 sample results must be greater than the values given in the Table A.4.

Table A.4: Differences required for significance

Table A.4: Differences required for significance.

Size of sample compared	Differences required for significance at or near these percentage levels
	10 or 90 percent	30 or 70 percent	50 percent
	Plus or minus	Plus or minus	Plus or minus
100 and 100	8	13	14
250 and 100	7	11	12
500 and 250	5	7	8
500 and 500	4	6	6
1,000 and 500	3	5	5
1,000 and 1,000	3	4	4
1,500 and 1,000	2	4	4

Sample profile

Profile of young people

Table A.5 outlines the details of the sample profile for the 2026 study; covering all 11 to 17 year olds who participated in the Young People and Gambling Survey.

Table A.5 - Sample profile - Commission section 2026

Table A.5: Sample profile 2025

Sample group	Unweighted count	Unweighted (percentage)	Weighted (percentage)
Total	3,867	100%	100%
Gender of pupils
Male	1,896	49%	49%
Female	1,809	47%	47%
Non-binary	48	1%	1%
My gender is not listed	43	1%	1%
Prefer not to say	71	2%	2%
Age of pupils
11	169	4%	7%
12	535	14%	17%
13	794	21%	18%
14	900	23%	20%
15	799	21%	19%
16	463	12%	14%
17	205	5%	6%
Year of pupils1
7	471	12%	18%
8	840	22%	18%
9	836	22%	19%
10	820	21%	19%
11	608	16%	18%
12	290	7%	8%
Ethnic origin
White	2,670	69%	68%
Asian or Asian British	543	14%	15%
Black or Black British	221	6%	6%
Mixed or Other	267	7%	7%
Region
London	588	15%	15%
South East	709	18%	15%
South West	103	3%	8%
North East	310	8%	4%
North West	341	9%	11%
East of England	375	10%	10%
East Midlands	124	3%	7%
West Midlands	248	6%	9%
Yorkshire and the Humber	152	4%	8%
Scotland	543	14%	7%
Wales	374	10%	4%

Profile of schools

In this section we analyse how the sample of participating schools compares with the population of schools that are eligible for the Young People and Gambling Survey. The information for England and Wales is drawn from Department for Education's (DfE’s) ‘Get Information About Schools’ database, and the equivalent for Scotland. Less detailed information is available on the sampling frames for schools in Wales and Scotland, and the analysis is based on the information available for each nation for each variable. We analyse the profiles of schools for a range of variables, including school type; regional distribution; urban or rural profile; and proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.

Type of establishment

The sample of schools participating in the Young People and Gambling Survey 2026 is broadly representative of the population, with a similar profile in terms of types of establishments, regions, free school meals, and urbanity profile. Differences in the profile of the achieved sample compared with the population are considered within the weighting of survey findings.

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¹ Or equivalent year groups in Scotland.

List of gambling activities and definitions

List of gambling activities

The survey contained 4 questions which were designed to identify gambling experience and establish rates of active involvement in gambling among young people during the past 7 days, 4 weeks, 12 months and more than 12 months ago.

All young people were asked whether they had ever experienced a range of 17 gambling activities shown in a list. For each activity they had ever experienced, they were then asked when they last did so, whether they had spent their own money on it and when they last spent their own money.

The list of gambling activities which formed the basis of the gambling prevalence questions is shown in Table A.6.

Table A.6: List of gambling activities

The list of gambling activities are:

• National Lottery draw for example Lotto, EuroMillions or Set for Life, either with a physical ticket or playing online
• National Lottery Scratchcards (not free Scratchcards)
• National Lottery online instant win games
• other Lotteries (for example The Health Lottery, People’s Postcode Lottery, or other smaller lotteries)
• arcade gaming machines (for example penny pusher or claw grab machine)
• fruit or slot machines (for example at an arcade, pub or social club)
• gambling machines in a betting shop
• cards for money (for example with friends or family)
• bingo at a bingo club
• bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club (for example social club or holiday park)
• bingo online (for example Foxy Bingo, Gala Bingo or Tombola)
• bet for money between friends or family
• bet on esports (electronic sports such as playing video games competitively) online
• bet at a betting shop or bookies (for example on football or horse racing)
• bet on a betting website and/or app (for example on football or horse racing)
• game inside a casino in real life, not online
• online game on a casino website (for example online poker or online roulette for money).

Definitions

Table A.7 provides definitions for terms referenced throughout the report.

Table A.7: Definitions of terms used within the report

Gambling

For the purpose of this study 'gambling’ includes things like buying Lottery tickets, placing a private bet, playing cards for money and playing on fruit machines.

Active involvement in gambling

Young people who participated in the survey were first asked if they had ever done any of the following list of 17 activities:

• National Lottery draw for example Lotto, EuroMillions or Set for Life, either with a physical ticket or playing online
• National Lottery Scratchcards (not free Scratchcards)
• National Lottery online instant win games
• other Lotteries (for example The Health Lottery, People’s Postcode Lottery, or other smaller lotteries)
• arcade gaming machines (for example penny pusher or claw grab machine)
• fruit or slot machines (for example at an arcade, pub or social club)
• gambling machines in a betting shop
• cards for money (for example with friends or family)
• bingo at a bingo club
• bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club (for example social club or holiday park)
• bingo online (for example Foxy Bingo, Gala Bingo or Tombola)
• bet for money between friends or family
• bet on esports (electronic sports such as playing video games competitively) online
• bet at a betting shop or bookies (for example on football or horse racing)
• bet on a betting website and/or app (for example on football or horse racing)
• game inside a casino in real life, not online
• online game on a casino website (for example online poker or online roulette for money).

Those who selected at least one of these activities were then asked if they had ever spent their own money on these activities, with ‘own money’ noted as meaning pocket money, birthday money or any money they earned themselves or got as a reward. Those who had spent their own money on at least one of the 17 listed activities were asked when they last spent their own money on the activities. Those who cited having spent their own money on any of these activities within the last 12 months are defined as being actively involved in gambling.

Experience of gambling

Young people who had ever done any of the 17 gambling activities previously listed, but not necessarily spending their own money on doing so, are described as having some experience of gambling.

Age restricted gambling

Gambling activities that are licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission and designed to ensure that those under 18 cannot participate. These activities include betting or casino gaming provided by a licensed operator online or from premises, playing National Lottery products or other lottery products, and playing gaming machines in betting shops.

Non-age restricted forms of gambling

This category covers gambling activities that fall outside the Commission's remit, such as non-commercial gambling between friends and family and bingo played somewhere other than a bingo club. It also includes gaming machines that can legally be used by children and young people under 18. The exception within this category is bingo played somewhere other than a bingo club: most instances are not age restricted, but where bingo is plated for money, it becomes age restricted.

Lotteries or lottery style games

Includes National Lottery draws (for example Lotto, EuroMillions or Set for Life) either with a physical ticket or playing online, National Lottery Scratchcards (not free Scratchcards), National Lottery online instant win games, and Other Lotteries (for example The Health Lottery, People’s Postcode Lottery, or other smaller lotteries).

Experience of lotteries and lottery style games

Includes both spending their own money to play lotteries and lottery style games, as well as experiencing without spending their own money, which might potentially include picking lottery numbers for others or scratching off the numbers on someone else’s ticket or card.

Games and gaming machines

Includes arcade gaming machines (for example penny pusher or claw grab machine), fruit or slot machines (for example at an arcade, pub or social club), gambling machines in a betting shop, and cards for money (for example with friends or family).

Bingo

Includes bingo at a bingo club, bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club (for example social club, holiday park), and bingo online (for example Foxy Bingo, Gala Bingo or Tombola).

Placing a bet

Includes activities such as placing a bet for money between friends or family, placing a bet on eSports (electronic sports such as playing video games competitively) online, placing a bet at a betting shop or bookies (for example on football or horse racing), and placing a bet on a betting website and/or app (for example on football or horse racing).

Casino games

Includes playing a game inside a casino and playing casino games online (for example online poker or online roulette for money).

Accessing adults-only areas

Young people who recalled playing arcade gaming machines were asked if they had ever done so in an adults-only area, for example an adults (18 years old and over) only section of an amusement arcade, bowling alley, holiday park or pub.

In-game items

Skins are one example of in-game items which can be won or bought within a video game to change the appearance of a character, avatar or weapon. On some websites (separate to the game itself), players can trade, bet on and sell their skins in exchange for cash. This is called skins gambling.

Loot boxes and surprise boxes

The terms ‘loot box’ and ‘surprise box’ are used in the survey to describe in-game features that, in exchange for real-world money or virtual currency, provide players with a randomised item or reward.

The use of features which include expenditure and chance has led to concern that loot boxes are akin to gambling. The Commission’s view on skins gambling, loot boxes and related issues is as set out in the position paper published in March 2017 - Virtual currencies Esports and social casino gaming.

Questionnaire

Activities at school and in your free time

GC_SCRNINTRO

The next few questions are about activities you might have taken part in. Remember, everything you tell us is confidential; no one at school will see your answers.

ASK ALL.

GC_SPARE

In your spare time, what are the things that you like to do most?

Please tick up to 3 boxes.

1. Chatting on the phone with friends and/or spending time online with friends on social media.
2. Meeting up with friends.
3. Playing games on my phone, iPad, laptop or on a console (for example Play Station, Nintendo Switch, Xbox).
4. Taking part in fantasy football leagues.
5. Watching programmes on TV or through streaming services (for example YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus).
6. Listening to music.
7. Reading (books or magazines).
8. Cooking.
9. Spending time with my family.
10. Shopping.
11. Going to the cinema, theatre or concerts.
12. Taking part in sports (for example football, netball, swimming, gymnastics) and/or exercising (for example gym, workout classes, walking and/or hiking).
13. Other [Insert text box].
14. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL.

GC_GAMSPEND

Have you ever done any of the following activities?

Multicode 1 to 17. Single code 18 and 19.

Played lotteries or lottery style games

1. National Lottery draw for example Lotto, EuroMillions or Set for Life, either with a physical ticket or playing online.
2. National Lottery Scratchcards (not free Scratchcards).
3. National Lottery online instant win games.
4. Other Lotteries (for example The Health Lottery, People’s Postcode Lottery, or other smaller lotteries).

Games and gaming machines

5. Played arcade gaming machines (for example penny pusher or claw grab machine).
6. Played fruit or slot machines (for example at an arcade, pub or social club).
7. Played gambling machines in a betting shop.
8. Played cards for money (for example with friends or family).

Bingo

9. Played bingo at a bingo club.
10. Played bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club (for example social club, holiday park).
11. Played bingo online (for example Foxy Bingo, Gala Bingo or Tombola).

Placing a bet (using real money, not virtual money and/or tokens)

12. Placed a bet for money between friends or family.
13. Placed a bet on esports (electronic sports such as playing video games competitively) online.
14. Placed a bet at a betting shop or bookies (for example on football or horse racing).
15. Placed a bet on a betting website and/or app (for example on football or horse racing).

Casino games

16. Played a game inside a casino in real life, not online.
17. Played an online game on a casino website (for example online poker or online roulette for money).
18. None of these EXCLUSIVE GO TO GC_SCRNGAMBACT.
19. Prefer not to say EXCLUSIVE GO TO GC_SCRNGAMBACT.

GC_GAMSPENDWHEN

ASK ALL WHO SELECTED ANY ACTIVITY 1 to 17 AT GAMSPEND.

When did you last do [this activity and/or these activities]? Was it... in the last 7 days, last 4 weeks, last 12 months, or more than 12 months ago?

[INSERT GRID OF ACTIVITIES SELECTED AT GAMSPEND 1 TO 17] SINGLE CODE FOR EACH ROW.

1. In the last 7 days.
2. In the last 4 weeks.
3. In the last 12 months.
4. More than 12 months ago.
5. Do not know and/or cannot remember.
6. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO SELECTED ANY ACTIVITY 1 TO 17 AT GAMSPEND.

GC_GAMSPEND 2

Last time you did [this activity and/or these activities] who were you with?

[INSERT GRID OF ACTIVITIES SELECTED AT GAMSPEND 1 TO 17] SINGLE CODE 1, 8, 9. MULTICODE 2 TO 7.

1. I was alone.
2. Parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s).
3. Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 18 or older.
4. Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 17 or younger.
5. Friend(s) aged 18 or older.
6. Friend(s) aged 17 of younger.
7. Others.
8. Do not know and/or cannot remember.
9. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO SELECTED ANY ACTIVITY 1 TO 17 AT GAMSPEND.

GAMSPEND 3

Have you ever spent your own money on the following [activity and/or activities]?

By your own money we mean pocket money, birthday money or any money you earned yourself or got as a reward.

[INSERT GRID OF ACTIVITIES SELECTED AT GAMSPEND 1 TO 17] SINGLE CODE FOR EACH ROW.

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Do not know and/or cannot remember.
4. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO SELECTED 1 AT GAMSPEND3. THOSE WHO CODED 2 TO 4 FOR ALL ACTIVITIES AT GAMSPEND 3 SHOULD GO TO SCRNGAMBACT.

GAMSPEND 4

And when did you last spend money on [this activity and/or these activities]? Was it...? [INSERT GRID OF ACTIVITIES SELECTED AT GAMSPEND3 code 1 ONLY] SINGLE CODE FOR EACH ROW.

1. In the last 7 days.
2. In the last 4 weeks.
3. In the last 12 months.
4. More than 12 months ago.
5. Do not know and/or cannot remember.
6. Prefer not to say.

SHOW TO ALL.

GC_SCRNGAMBACT

When we talk about gambling, we mean any activity which involves risking money (or something of value) in the hope of winning money or a prize.

This could include playing the lottery or scratchcards, playing bingo or arcade games, or placing a bet on a sporting event.

Please remember, not all gambling activities have age restrictions, like playing a claw grab machine in the hope of catching a prize or making a private bet with your family or friends.

ASK ALL WHO CODE 18 TO 19 AT GC_GAMSPEND OR ANSWERED CODE 2 TO 4 FOR ALL ACTIVITIES AT GAMSPEND3. OTHERS TO GC_SPENDWHY.

GC_NEVER

You said that you have never gambled or never spent your own money on gambling. Why is that?

Remember, 'gambling’ includes things like buying Lottery tickets, scratchcards, placing a bet between family and friends, playing cards for money and playing on fruit or slot machines.

Multi-code

NEW INSTRUCTION: Rotate codes 1 to 10.

1. Because I am not likely to win money.
2. Because I will lose more than I will win.
3. It is not something I am interested in.
4. I do not know enough about these gambling games.
5. My parents would not want me and/or allow me to.
6. I do not want to play with real money and/or I would rather play free games.
7. It is illegal and/or I am too young to do this.
8. Because it might lead to future problems.
9. I do not agree with gambling and/or it is not right.
10. It is against my religion.
11. Other: [Insert open text box].
12. Do not know EXCLUSIVE.
13. Prefer not to say EXCLUSIVE.

ASK ALL WHO CODED CODE 1 TO 3 AT ANY ACTIVITY AT GC_GAMSPEND4.

ALL WHO CODE 18 AT GC_GAMSPEND GO TO GC_STOPPED. THOSE WHO ANSWERED CODE 2 TO 4 FOR ALL ACTIVITIES AT GAMSPEND3 OR CODES 4 TO 6 AT GAMSPEND 4 GO TO GC_PLAYONLINE.

GC_SPENDWHY

Thinking about when you have spent your money on (TEXTFILL FOR ALL ACTIVITIES FROM GC_GAMSPEND4 CODED 1 TO 3), in the past 12 months, why did you do this?

Multi-code

NEW INSTRUCTION: Rotate codes 1 to 13.

1. To try to win money.
2. Because it helps me and/or cheers me up when I feel down, nervous or in a bad mood.
3. To get a buzz and/or because it is exciting.
4. Because it is something my friends do and/or I do not want to feel left out.
5. Because it is something my parents and/or guardians do.
6. Because it is fun.
7. Because it is cool.
8. It gives me something to do.
9. Because I like to take risks.
10. Because money goes to good causes.
11. I have a chance to win a jackpot or big prize.
12. I have a good chance of winning something (even if not a big prize or jackpot).
13. The games are simple to play.
14. Other (PLEASE WRITE IN)[Insert open text box].
15. Do not know EXCLUSIVE.
16. Prefer not to say EXCLUSIVE.

ASK 1 IF SELECTED CODES 1, 3 IN GC_GAMSPEND.

ASK 2 IF SELECTED CODES 11, 13, 15, 17.

OTHERS GO TO GC_HANDED.

GC_PLAYONLINE

Please read the following sentences and choose the ones that describe you.

1. I have used my parents’ and/or guardians’ account INFORMATION BUTTON HERE A to play National Lottery games online INFORMATION BUTTON HERE B.

A. with their permission.
B. without their permission.

2. I have used my parents’ and/or guardians’ personal account INFORMATION BUTTON HERE A to play on gambling websites, or to place bets online INFORMATION BUTTON HERE B.

A. with their permission.
B. without their permission.

3. None of these sentences are true about me EXCLUSIVE.
4. Prefer not to say EXCLUSIVE.

INFORMATION BUTTON A: When we say ‘online’ we mean websites and apps.
INFORMATION BUTTON B: When we say ‘account’ we are referring to a website or app which requires the user to sign-in with a password. We do not mean online banking.

ASK ALL WHO SELECTED CODES 1 AND 2 AT GC_GAMSPEND. OTHERS GO TO GC_FRUITTYPE.

GC_HANDED

Thinking about the last time you played [National Lottery ticket and/or scratchcard INSERT CODES 1 OR 2 FROM GAMSPEND] which statement best describes how you purchased and paid for the [REPEAT CODE 1 OR 2 GAMSPEND]?

REPEAT FOR EACH ACTIVITY.

SINGLE CODE ONLY

1. I purchased the [INSERT ACTIVITY] by myself in a shop.
2. Someone else purchased the [INSERT ACTIVITY] for me in a shop.
3. The [INSERT ACTIVITY] was not purchased in a shop.
4. Do not know and/or cannot remember.
5. Prefer not to say.

GC_FRUITTYPE

ASK IF CODED ANY 5 TO 6 AT GC_GAMSPEND. OTHERS GO TO GC_ESPORTS.

Thinking back to the last time you played on arcade gaming machines, fruit or slot machines, or other gambling machines, what sort of machine(s) did you play?

MULTICODE 1 TO 6

1. Claw or crane grab machines (for example toy grab).
2. Penny falls or penny pusher machines (for example 2p machine).
3. Fruit machine style games where you win small cash prizes.
4. Fruit machine style games where you win tickets to ‘buy’ prizes (for example soft toys).
5. Quiz game machines – where you win small cash prizes or tickets to ‘buy’ prizes (for example soft toys).
6. Other [please specify].
7. Do not know EXCLUSIVE.
8. Prefer not to say EXCLUSIVE.

GC_FRUITWHERE

ASK IF CODED ANY 1 TO 5 AT GC_FRUITTYPE. OTHERS GO TO GC_ESPORTS.

As far as you know, have you ever played on any of these machines in an adults-only area. For example, an adults (18 years and older) only section of an amusement arcade, bowling alley, holiday park or pub.

Remember, everything you tell us is confidential; no one at school will see your answers.

SINGLE CODE ONLY

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Do not know.
4. Prefer not to say.

GC_FRUITWHO

ASK IF CODED ANY 1 AT GC_FRUITTWHERE. OTHERS GO TO GC_STOPPED.

And in this adult (18 years and older) only section, who were you with?

Remember, everything you tell us is confidential; no one at school will see your answers.

SINGLE CODE 1, /8, -9. MULTICODE OK 2 TO 7

1. I was alone.
2. Parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s).
3. Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 18 or older.
4. Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 17 or younger.
5. Friend(s) aged 18 or older.
6. Friend(s) aged 17 of younger.
7. Others.
8. Do not know and/or cannot remember.
9. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL.

GC_STOPPED

Thinking about gambling for money, have you ever been stopped from gambling because you were too young? Remember, ‘gambling’ includes things like buying Lottery tickets, scratchcards, placing a bet between family and friends, playing cards for money and playing on fruit or slot machines.

MULTICODE 1 TO 2 – Single-code codes 3,4 ,5, 6.

1. Yes, I have been stopped from gambling online.
2. Yes, I have been stopped from gambling in a premises for example shop, betting shop or arcade.
3. No, I have never been stopped EXCLUSIVE.
4. No, I have never tried to gamble EXCLUSIVE.
5. Do not know and/or cannot remember EXCLUSIVE.
6. Prefer not to say.

DSM-IV-MR-J SCREEN – 9 STATEMENTS

SHOW SCREEN TO ALL GAMBLERS (CODED 1 TO 3 AT GAMSPEND4).

GC_SCRNREM1

Remember, ‘gambling’ includes things like buying Lottery tickets, scratchcards, placing a bet between family and friends, playing cards for money and playing on fruit or slot machines.

ASK ALL WHO CODED 1 TO 3 AT GC_GAMSPEND4. OTHERS GO TO GC SELF OR ADULT.

GC_PREOCC

In the past 12 months how often have you found yourself thinking about gambling or planning to gamble?

Single-code

1. Never.
2. Once or twice.
3. Sometimes.
4. Often.
5. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO CODED 1 TO 3 AT GC_GAMSPEND4.

GC_ESCAPE

In the past 12 months how often have you gambled to help you escape from problems or when you are feeling bad?

Single-code

1. Never.
2. Once or twice.
3. Sometimes.
4. Often.
5. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO CODED 1 TO 3 AT GC_GAMSPEND4.

GC_WITHD

In the past 12 months have you felt bad or fed up when trying to cut down on gambling?

Single-code

1. Never feel bad about trying to cut down.
2. Once or twice.
3. Sometimes.
4. Often.
5. Never try to cut down.
6. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO CODED 1 TO 3 AT GC_GAMSPEND4.

GC_TOLERNCE

In the past 12 months have you needed to gamble with more and more money to get the amount of excitement you want?

Single-code

1. Never.
2. Once or twice.
3. Sometimes.
4. Often.
5. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO CODED 1 TO 3 AT GC_GAMSPEND4.

GC_ LOSSCON

In the past 12 months have you ever spent much more than you planned to on gambling?

Single-code

1. Never.
2. Once or twice.
3. Sometimes.
4. Often.
5. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO CODED 1 TO 3 AT GC_GAMSPEND4.

GC_ILLEGAL

In the past 12 months have you ever taken money from any of the following without permission to spend on gambling?

Multi-code

1. I have never taken money without permission to spend on gambling EXCLUSIVE.
2. Dinner money or fare money.
3. Money from family.
4. Money from things you have sold.
5. Money from outside the family.
6. Somewhere else.
7. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO CODED 1 TO 3 AT GC_GAMSPEND4.

GC_LED

In the past 12 months has your gambling ever led to the following?

Grid question. Single-code per row

Rows:

GC_LEDRISKEDFAM Arguments with family and/or friends or others.
GC_LEDLYING Telling lies to family and/or friends or others.
GC_LEDRISKEDSCHL Missing school.

Columns:

1. My gambling has never led to this
2. Once or twice.
3. Sometimes.
4. Often.
5. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO CODED 1 TO 3 AT GC_GAMSPEND4.

GC_CHASING

In the past 12 months, after losing money by gambling, have you returned another day to try to win back the money you lost?

Single-code

1. Never.
2. Less than half the time.
3. More than half the time.
4. Every time.
5. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL.

GC_FAMGAM

Have you ever seen any of the family members that you live with gambling?

When we talk about gambling, we mean any activity which involves risking money (or something of value) in the hope of winning money or a prize.

SINGLE CODE ONLY

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Do not know.
4. Prefer not to say.

ASK IF CODE 1 AT GCFAMGAM OTHERS GO TO GC_PLAYONLINE.

GC_SLEEPFAMGAM

Over the past year, how often, if at all, have you lost sleep at night because...

You have been worrying about the gambling of a family member or someone who is responsible for looking after you.

Columns:

1. Never.
2. Rarely.
3. Sometimes.
4. Often.
5. All the time.
6. Do not know.
7. Prefer not to say.
8. Not applicable (FOR SLEEPFAMGAM ONLY).

ASK ALL WHO SAY ‘YES’ CODE 1 AT GC_FAMGAM. OTHERS TO GC_PLAYONLINE.

Thinking about the last 12 months, how often, if at all, has your family’s gambling led to any of the following things?

Grid question. Single-code per row

GC_FAMGAMFOOD Stopped you from having enough food (food at home or money on school canteen card and/or account).
GC_FAMGAMPAY Helped your family to pay for other things or activities for example holidays, trips, clubs.
GC_FAMLEDTME Your parents or guardians having less time to spend with you.
GC_FAMLEDARG More arguments or tension at home.

Columns:

1. Never.
2. Rarely.
3. Sometimes.
4. Often.
5. All the time.
6. Do not know.
7. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO SAY ‘YES’ CODE 1 AT GC_FAMGAM.

GC_NEWFELTBADFAM

In the past 12 months how often, if at all, would you say that gambling among your family members and/or people you live with has made you feel...

GC_NEWFELTBADFAMSAD Sad.
GC_NEWFELTBADFAMWOR Worried.

Single-code

1. Never.
2. Rarely.
3. Sometimes.
4. Often.
5. All the time.
6. Do not know.
7. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL.

GC_INGAMEAWARE

When playing video games (for example Roblox, Fortnite, FIFA and/or EA Sports FC, Call of Duty, GTA, Minecraft or Block Blast) you can collect in-game items (for example skins, clothes, weapons, accessories, players).

The following list shows some different things that it is possible to do with in-game items.

Which, if any, of these were you aware of before today?

NEW INSTRUCTION: Grid question. Rotate codes 1 to 6. Single Code on each line

1. Buying virtual items with in-game money without spending real money. This is when you use in-game money to get things like new looks for your character, clothes, weapons, or new players.
2. Buying virtual items in games with your own money (for example pocket money, gift cards) or your parents and/or carers’ money: This is when you use real money to get things like new looks for your character, clothes, weapons, or new players.
3. Opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with in-game money: This is when you spend in-game money to open boxes or packs that have surprise items inside.
4. Opening virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with your own money (for example pocket money, gift cards) or your parents and/or carers’ money: This is when you spend real money to open boxes or packs that have surprise items inside.
5. Paying to play casino games in an in-game casino (for example a GTA Casino): This is when you use your in-game money to play casino games like roulette or blackjack to win more in-game money.
6. Betting with in-game items on websites outside of the game you are playing.

Columns:

1. Aware.
2. Not aware.
3. Do not know.
4. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO SELECTED AWARE AT ANY CODE 1-6 STATEMENTS AT GC_INGAMEAWARE. OTHERS GO TO GC_ADAWARE.

GC_INGAMEUSED

Which, if any, of the following have you personally done?

Multi-code 1 to 6. Single Code 7 to 9

NEW INSTRUCTION: Rotate codes 1 to 3

1. Bought virtual items with in-game money without spending any real money.
2. Bought virtual items in games with your own money (for example pocket money, gift cards) or your parent and/or carers’ money.
3. Opened virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with in-game money.
4. Opened virtual loot boxes or surprise boxes with your own money.
5. Paid to play casino games in an in-game casino.
6. Bet with in-game items on websites outside of the game you are playing.
7. None of these.
8. Do not know.
9. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO CODED 2 and 4 AT GC_INGAMEUSED, OTHERS GO TO GC_ADAWARE.

GC_PAY

You said that you have bought virtual items in games with your own money. How did you pay for these items?

Grid question. Multi-code

Rotate options 1 to 4

Rows:

1. Using money from my own bank account.
2. Using money from someone else’s bank account.
3. Gift card.
4. Virtual currency obtained without spending any money (for example coins or tokens earned in the game).
5. Virtual currency bought with money.
6. Other (please specify) [INSERT TEXT BOX].
7. Do not know.
8. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL.

GC_ADAWARE

Have you seen or heard adverts or promotion about gambling in any of the following places?

Remember, 'gambling’ includes things like buying Lottery tickets, scratchcards, playing on fruit or slot machines, bingo, betting on sports and online gambling.

Grid question. Single-code per row

Rotate rows 1 to 9 ONLY. CODES 10 TO 11 ALWAYS ANCHORED AT THE BOTTOM.

Rows:

1. GC_ADTV On TV.
2. GC_ADRAD On the radio.
3. GC_PODCAST On a podcast.
4. GC_ADEVE At a sports event (for example at football stadiums or on players’ shirts or around the pitch).
5. GC_ADNPAPER In newspapers or magazines.
6. GC_ADPOSTER On posters and/or billboards.
7. GC_ADAPP On an app.
8. GC_ADSMEDIA On social media (including Snapchat, Facebook, X or Twitter, Instagram, TikTok).
9. GC_ADLIVE On live streaming or video sharing platforms (including Twitch, YouTube, TikTok).
10. GC_ADOTHER On another website.

Columns:

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Do not know.
4. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO CODED YES TO EACH STATEMENT AT GC_ADAWARE AND REPEAT FOR EACH STATEMENT. OTHERS GO TO GC_SOCIALMED.

GC_ADFREQ

And how often, do you see or hear adverts or promotion about gambling in the following places?

Grid question. Single-code per row

Rows: INSERT LIST FROM GC_ADAWARE.

Columns:

1. Daily.
2. More than once a week.
3. Once a week.
4. A few times a month.
5. Once a month or less often.
6. Do not know.
7. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO CODED YES TO AT LEAST ONE STATEMENT AT GC_ADAWARE.

GC_ADSPEND

Have adverts or promotion about gambling ever prompted you to spend money on gambling when you were not otherwise planning to?

Single-code

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Do not know.
4. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL.

GC_SOCIALMED

Do you follow any gambling related content on social media or streaming platforms? This includes all gambling companies, betting, bingo and lottery activities and gamblers who stream their gambling or provide content about it.

Multi-code

NEW INSTRUCTION: Rotate rows 1 to 5.

1. Yes, on Instagram.
2. Yes, on Snapchat.
3. Yes on TikTok.
4. Yes, on Facebook.
5. Yes, on X and/or Twitter and/or Bluesky.
6. Yes, on YouTube.
7. Yes, on Twitch.
8. Yes, on another social media platform (PLEASE WRITE IN).
9. No, I do not follow any gambling companies on social media and/or streaming platforms EXCLUSIVE.
10. No, I do not use social media and/or streaming platforms EXCLUSIVE.
11. Do not know and/or cannot remember EXCLUSIVE.
12. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL WHO CODED 1 TO 8 AT GC_SOCIALMED. OTHERS GO TO GC ACTIVITY.

GC_INFLUENCER

You said that you follow gambling related content on social media or streaming platforms. Have any influencers, creators, or streamers you follow advertised gambling content to you?

Single-code

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Do not know.
4. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL.

GC_ACTIVITY

Please look at the following list and for each activity, select when, if ever, you have done this. Remember that nobody will see your answers. Your answers are CONFIDENTIAL.

Grid question. Single-code per row

NEW INSTRUCTION: Rotate rows 1 to 4.

Rows:

GC_ACTIVITYALC Drunk an alcoholic drink.
GC_ACTIVITYDRG Taken illegal drugs (including cannabis).
GC_ACTIVITYCIG Smoked a tobacco cigarette.
GC_ACTIVITYECIG Used an e-cigarette and/or vape.

Columns:

1. In the last 7 days.
2. In the last 4 weeks.
3. In the last 12 months.
4. Longer than 12 months ago.
5. Never.
6. Do not know.
7. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL.

GC_ATTGAM

Thinking about gambling for money, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the statements below?

Remember, 'gambling’ includes things like buying Lottery tickets, placing a private bet, playing cards for money and playing on fruit machines.

Grid question. Single-code per row

Rows:

GC_ATTINF I feel well informed about the risks of gambling.
GC_ATTSPOKEN People have spoken to me about the potential problems that gambling can lead to.

Columns:

1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.
6. Do not know.
7. Prefer not to say.

ASK ALL.

GC_RISK

How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

I consider myself a risk-taker.

I like the feeling that comes with taking risks.

Columns:

1. Strongly agree.
2. Agree.
3. Neither agree nor disagree.
4. Disagree.
5. Strongly disagree.
6. Do not know.
7. Prefer not to say.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

If you think you or anyone in your family or friends may have a problem with any kind of gambling, please do not feel bad about it - this can happen to anyone. If you would like help, GamCare runs a national, confidential freephone helpline on 0808 8020 133.