Report
Young People and Gambling 2023: Official statistics
Gambling Commission report produced by Ipsos on young people and their gambling behaviour, attitudes and awareness in 2023.
Contents
- Executive summary
- Young people’s active involvement in gambling
- Experience of gambling
- The Impact of gambling on young people
- Online gambling
- National Lottery play
- Games and gaming machines
- The Context for gambling participation
- Attitudes towards and exposure to gambling
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- Summary
- Young people's views on gambling
- Feeling informed about gambling
- Being stopped from gambling
- Young people's exposure to gambling adverts and promotions and frequency of exposure
- Content of gambling adverts and promotions seen
- Whether ever prompted to gamble by adverts and promotions
- Following gambling companies on social media
- Appendices
- List of gambling activities and definitions
Summary
This section looks at young people’s attitudes towards gambling, including what they think about gambling participation among people their age and who they would go to for help if they had problems with gambling. It also explores young people’s exposure to gambling through advertising, sponsorships, and social media.
Throughout this chapter we make comparisons to the data in 2022. However, it should be noted that the 2022 sample did not include year 12 pupils or independent schools, so any differences are indicative only.
The majority of young people (64 percent) agreed that gambling was dangerous. Indeed, only one in ten (14 percent) felt that it was something you should even try, just to see what it is like, and fewer still (7 percent) felt that is was OK for someone their age to gamble once a week.
Most (70 percent) felt informed about the risks of gambling. However, only half (54 percent) said that someone had spoken to them about the potential risks associated with gambling.
More than half of young people (55 percent) reported that their exposure to adverts or promotion about gambling happens offline, typically when watching TV (47 percent). A similar proportion (53 percent) have seen gambling adverts online either on an app (45 percent), on social media websites (40 percent), or on live streaming or video sharing platforms (30 percent). Young people who had seen or heard an advert were most likely to recall it being about ‘lotteries’ (43 percent), betting (36 percent) or bingo (35 percent).
Despite being exposed to gambling on TV, online or through other media sources, most (81 percent) young people who had seen or heard adverts about gambling said that it did not prompt them to spend money on gambling. However, 15 percent said that they had chosen to follow or watch gambling companies on social media websites.
Young people's views on gambling
Last updated: 16 November 2023
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