Report
Annual Report and Accounts 2021 to 2022
The Gambling Commission's 2021 to 2022 Annual Report and Accounts.
How gambling makes young people feel
Young people who had spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months were asked how it affected their happiness, and whether it ever made them feel sad or guilty.
For the majority, their experience of gambling does not lead to feelings of guilt or sadness; only 3 percent agreed with the statement ‘I feel sad when I gamble’ and only 5 percent agreed with the statement ‘I feel guilty when I gamble’. They are less clear on whether gambling makes them feel happy; one in five (21 percent) agree, but three in ten (29 percent) disagree and the same proportion (29 percent) are unsure either way.
Figure 6: How gambling makes young people feel
Figure 6 information
GC_EXPHAP GC_EXPGUIL GC_EXPSAD. Thinking about your experiences of gambling, how much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Base: All 11 to 16 year olds answering who have spent their own money gambling in the last 12 months 'I feel happy when I gamble' (690). 'I feel guilty when I gamble' (692). 'I feel sad when I gamble' (692).
Note: Where percentages for a question do not add up to 100 percent, this is due to computer rounding.
| Statement | Percentage who strongly agree | Percentage who agree | Percentage who neither agree nor disagree | Percentage who disagree | Percentage who strongly disagree | Percentage who don't know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I feel sad when I gamble | 2% | 1% | 15% | 28% | 33% | 20% |
| I feel guilty when I gamble | 3% | 2% | 18% | 26% | 32% | 20% |
| I feel happy when I gamble | 3% | 18% | 29% | 13% | 15% | 22% |
Young people from black and ethnic minority groups were more likely than young people from white ethnic groups to agree that their active involvement in gambling makes them feel sad (7 percent compared with 2 percent) and guilty (9 percent compared with 4 percent).
Last updated: 9 November 2022
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