The Gambling Commission website uses cookies to make the site work better for you. Some of these cookies are essential to how the site functions and others are optional. Optional cookies help us remember your settings, measure your use of the site and personalise how we communicate with you. Any data collected is anonymised and we do not set optional cookies unless you consent.

Set cookie preferences

You've accepted all cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. About us
  3. Young People and Gambling 2022

Report

Young People and Gambling 2022

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

Published
10 November 2022

Last updated
9 November 2022 - Changes

Document actions
Print or save

Contents

Buying a National Lottery draw ticket or scratchcard

To set these findings in context, young people who have ever experienced play on a National Lottery draw based game or scratchcard, were asked how the purchase was made.

It’s important to note that the number of young people who self-reported experience of National Lottery draw based games is small (base size of 96), so the figures should be interpreted with caution. However, the data indicates that for both draw based and scratchcard games, in the vast majority of cases someone else made the purchase for young people.

Nine in ten (90 percent) young people who had played National Lottery scratchcards said that someone else purchased the scratchcard using their money and allowed the young person to scratch the numbers off (47 percent). While two in five (38 percent) young people stated someone else purchased the scratchcard using their money and gave it to the young person perhaps as a gift. Only 6 percent said that someone else made the purchase but used money belonging to the young person.

Similarly, 85 percent of young people who bought a ticket for a National Lottery draw based game said that someone else made the purchase for them. Once again, in the majority (53 percent) of cases the young person’s own money was not used to make the purchase, but they were allowed to pick the numbers, although 25 percent stated that the ticket was given to them. Less than one in ten (7 percent) said that someone else made the purchase but used money belonging to the young person.

One in twenty young people who gambled on a National Lottery draw based game, bought a ticket themselves with their own money (4 percent). Similarly, one in twenty young people who purchased a National Lottery scratchcard used their own money (5 percent).

Figure 15: How National Lottery draw games and scratchcards were purchased

A bar chart showing how young people purchased National Lottery draw games and scratchcards in the last 12 months, from 'I purchased the ticket with my own money' to 'Someone else purchased the ticket using their money, and let me pick the numbers'. For each mode of purchase there are two bars. One bar represents those young people who purchased National Lottery draws, the other bar represents those young people that purchased National Lottery scratchcards. Data from the chart is provided within the following table.

Figure 15 information

HANDED. Thinking about the last time you played National Lottery ticket and/or scratchcard which statement best describes how you purchased and paid for the item?
Base: All 11 to 16 year olds answering who have played National Lottery draw based games (96). All 11 to 16 year olds answering who have played National Lottery scratchcards (280).

How National Lottery draw games were purchased

Figure 15: How National Lottery draw games were purchased.
Purchase mode for National Lottery draw game tickets Percentage who purchased using this mode
Someone else purchased the ticket using their money, and let me pick the numbers 53%
Someone else purchased the ticket for me, using their money 25%
I purchased the ticket with someone else's money 10%
Someone else purchased the ticket for me, using my money 7%
I purchased the ticket with my own money 4%
I last bought the ticket online and/or using an app 1%

How National Lottery scratchcards were purchased

Figure 13: How National Lottery scratchcards were purchased.
Purchase mode for National Lottery scratchcards Percentage who purchased using this mode
Someone else purchased the scratchcard using their money, and let me scratch off the scratchcard 47%
Someone else purchased the scratchcard for me, using their money 38%
I purchased the scratchcard with someone else's money 4%
Someone else purchased the scratchcard for me, using my money 6%
I purchased the scratchcard with my own money 5%
I last bought the scratchcard online and/or using an app 0%
Previous section
Wider experience of lottery games Next section
Who young people are with when playing a National Lottery product?
Is this page useful?
Back to top