Report
Young People and Gambling 2023
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
- - Summary
- - Young people's active involvement in gambling
- - Variations in active involvement in gambling
- - Variations in active involvement in types of gambling activities
- - Prevalence of non-problem, at risk or problem gambling
- - Problem gambling by gender
- - Problem gambling by age
- - Problem gambling by ethnicity
- 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
- - 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
Types of gaming machines
Young people who had ever played on arcade gaming machines, fruit or slot machines or other gambling machines were asked what kinds of gaming machines they played. Of these young people, penny falls or penny pusher machines (73 percent) and claw or crane grab machines (70 percent) were the most played games.
Less commonly played were the fruit machine-style games where you win tickets to buy prizes (for example soft toys) (17 percent), and quiz game machines where you win small cash prizes or tickets to buy prizes (14 percent). Plays on fruit machine-style games where you win small cash prizes represented one in ten (10 percent).
Figure 19: Types of gaming machines played
Figure 19 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 17 year olds answering who have played arcade gaming machines or fruit and/or slot machines (1,651).
Note: This is a multiple response question, so the responses shown will not add up to 100 percent.
Type of gaming machine played | Percentage (multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100 percent) |
---|---|
Penny falls or penny pusher machines | 73% |
Claw or crane grab machines | 70% |
Fruit machine style games where you win tickets to ‘buy’ prizes | 17% |
Quiz game machines – where you win small cash prizes or tickets to ‘buy’ prizes | 14% |
Fruit machine style games where you win small cash prizes | 10% |
Other | 2% |
Don’t know | 8% |
Girls were more likely than boys to play penny falls or penny pusher machines (78 percent compared with 69 percent) as well as claw or crane grab machines (75 percent, compared with 66 percent). Penny pusher machines as well as claw or crane grab machines do however rank the highest of use in boys.
Those who define their ethnicity as white were more likely than young people from black or ethnic minority backgrounds to play penny falls or penny pusher machines (78 percent, compared with 54 percent). Those who are categorised as black or of an ethnic minority background are most likely to play claw or crane grab machines (72 percent).
There has been a slight decrease in the likelihood of claw or crane grab machines being the most played arcade games since 2022 (2 percentage point decrease from 72 percent). There has been an increase in girls playing on penny falls or penny pusher machines (4 percentage point increase from 74 percent in 2022).
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Last updated: 16 November 2023
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