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Lived experiences of gambling in teenage boys and young men: Qualitative research

Qualitative research to explore the lived experiences of teenage boys and young men aged 14 to 25 years.

Published
11 December 2025

Last updated
11 December 2025 - Changes

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Contents

Methodology

Humankind Research conducted multi-method and iterative qualitative research to explore how teenage boys and young men think about and experience gambling. Fieldwork took place between July and September 2025.

The research included 4 stages:

Stage 1: Expert interviews

Humankind Research conducted 4 online, 60-minute individual interviews with members of the Gambling Commission’s Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) and the former Advisory Board for Safer Gambling (ABSG), as well as representatives from GambleAware and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). These discussions helped shape the research design and ensure the work helped reflect lived-experience perspectives and address knowledge gaps.

Stages 2, 3, and 4 were conducted with 24 teenage boys and young men across Great Britain.

Stage 2: Introductory calls

Each participant was invited to a 30-minute call with a researcher, on Zoom or phone based on their preference. In the call, the researcher explained the purpose of the research, described what to expect in the subsequent stages, explained how their information would be used, and answered any questions the participant had.

Stage 3: Online diary tasks

Participants were asked to complete a 4-day online diary exploring their relationship with gambling and gambling-like activities. The diary format provided private space for open and honest responses, using a familiar, app-style interface accessible by phone, tablet or computer. Participants were given the option to respond with text, photo, audio and video.

Tasks invited them to reflect on what they see, do and think in relation to gambling in their daily lives, including social media content, gaming and peer conversations. There were 4 tasks in total which explored:

  • their interests and what gambling means to them
  • which gambling and gambling-like activities they have engaged with and why
  • exposure to gambling-related content or influences, both in-person and online
  • perceived upsides and downsides of gambling and gambling-like activities.

Stage 4: In-depth interviews

Sixty-minute follow-up interviews were then conducted online with each participant, moderated by experienced qualitative researchers. These conversations explored gambling behaviours, motivations and perceived impacts in greater depth. In the final part of the interviews, participants were asked to consider how teenage boys and young men could be better supported when it comes to gambling. A list of ‘other people have said’ statements was used as stimulus to aid reflection and discussion in this area. This type of stimulus is commonly used in qualitative research to help individuals articulate their views, react to contrasting viewpoints, and surface thoughts that may not arise spontaneously.

All data were analysed thematically, combining insights from each stage to identify consistent patterns and areas of divergence across ages and activity levels.

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