Report
Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023
The Gambling Commission's 2022 to 2023 Annual Report and Accounts. For the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.
Gambling in the context of what young people do in their spare time
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. This question was updated in 2025, as such the findings are not comparable with previous years.
As shown in Table 1.6 the most popular activities were meeting up with friends (40 percent), taking part in sports (40 percent), playing games on a device (39 percent) and listening to music (39 percent).
Table 1.6: Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months 2025
GC_SPARE. In your spare time, what are the things that you like to do most?
Base: All answering 2025 (3,603).
| Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months in 2025 | 2025 (percentage) |
|---|---|
| Meeting up with friends | 40% |
| Taking part in sports (for example football, netball, swimming, gymnastics) and/or exercising (for example gym, workout classes, walking, hiking) | 40% |
| Playing games on my phone, iPad, laptop or on a console (for example, Play Station, Nintendo Switch) | 39% |
| Listening to music | 39% |
| Spending time with my family | 32% |
| Chatting on the phone with my friends and/or spending time online with friends on social media | 28% |
| Watching programmes on TV or through streaming services | 21% |
| Shopping | 16% |
| Cooking | 10% |
| Reading (books or magazines) | 10% |
| Going to the cinema, theatre or concerts | 5% |
There are notable differences by gender:
- girls are more likely to listen to music (46 percent) and meet up with friends (43 percent)
- boys are more likely to play games on a device (59 percent) and play sports (53 percent).
Last updated: 13 November 2025
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