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Report

Young People and Gambling 2022: Official statistics

Gambling Commission report produced by Ipsos on young people and their gambling behaviour, attitudes and awareness in 2022.

Contents


Types of gaming machines

Young people who had ever played on arcade gaming machines and fruit or slot machines were asked what kinds of gaming machines they played. The most played games were penny falls or penny pusher machines (73 percent) and claw or crane grab machines (72 percent).

Play on fruit machine-style games where you win tickets to buy prizes (for example soft toys) was less common (18 percent), as was quiz game machines where you win small cash prizes or tickets to buy prizes (15 percent) and fruit machine-style games where you win small cash prizes (10 percent).

Figure 18: Types of gaming machines played

A bar chart showing the types of gaming machines played, from 'Fruit machine style games where you win small cash prizes' to 'Penny falls or penny pusher machines', by young people in the last 12 months. Data from the chart is provided within the following table.

Figure 18 information

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 16 year olds answering who have played arcade gaming machines or fruit and/or slot machines (1,438).
Note: This is a multiple response question, so the responses shown will not add up to 100 percent.

Figure 18: Types of gaming machines played.
Type of gaming machine Percentage who played gaming machine (multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100 percent)
Penny falls or penny pusher machines 73%
Claw or crane grab machines 72%
Fruit machine style games where you win tickets to ‘buy’ prizes 18%
Quiz game machines – where you win small cash prizes or tickets to ‘buy’ prizes 15%
Fruit machine style games where you win small cash prizes 10%
Other 3%
Don’t know 8%

There were some differences in play by gender:

  • girls were more likely than boys to play claw or crane grab machines (75 percent compared with 69 percent)
  • boys were more likely than girls to play fruit machine style games where you win small cash prizes (11 percent compared with 8 percent).

There were also differences by age:

  • overall, the most popular activity for younger groups (11 to 13 year olds) was claw or crane grab machines (76 percent compared with 70 percent of 14 to 16 year olds)
  • older age groups (14 to 16 year olds) typically preferred penny fall and/or pusher machines (76 percent compared with 64 percent of 12 year olds).
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