Report
Annual Report and Accounts 2020 to 2021
The Gambling Commission's 2020 to 2021 Annual Report and Accounts
Headline statistics
Headline statistics
31 percent of 11 to 16 year olds spent their own money on gambling in the twelve months prior to taking part in the survey.
During that period, the most common types of gambling activity that young people spent their own money on were legal or did not feature age restricted products, namely:
- playing arcade gaming machines such as penny pusher or claw grab machines (22 percent)
- placing a bet for money between friends or family (15 percent)
- playing cards with friends or family for money (5 percent).
23 percent of young people were spending their own money on regulated forms of gambling.
The youth-adapted problem gambling screen (DSM-IV-MR-J) identified 0.9 percent of 11 to 16 year olds as problem gamblers, 2.4 percent as at risk gamblers and 27.3 percent as non-problem gamblers.
Most (78 percent) young people who spent their own money gambling in the last 12 months, did so because they regard it as a fun thing to do. Whilst one in five (21 percent) agree that gambling makes them feel happy, more (29 percent) disagreed that it made them happy and the same proportion (29 percent) were unsure either way.
Three in ten (28 percent) young people had seen family members they live with gamble, of which 7 percent indicated it had resulted in arguments or tension at home. However, one in ten (11 percent) said that gambling by a family member had helped to pay for things at home for example holidays, trips or clubs.
Last updated: 9 November 2022
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