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
Young people's active involvement in gambling
Just over one quarter (26 percent) of 11 to 17 year olds spent their own money (for example pocket money, birthday money or money they earned themselves) on gambling activities in the 12 months prior to taking part in the survey.
Young people were most likely to have spent their own money on arcade games such as penny pusher or claw grab machines (19 percent) or bet for money between friends or family (11 percent), than other gambling activities, as shown in Figure 1.
The amount of young people spending their own money on gambling activities has decreased this year, by 5 percentage points from 31 percent, when compared to 2022. Arcade games and bets for money between friends or family were also the most likely activities for young people to have spent their money on in 2022 at 22 percent and 15 percent respectively.
Figure 1: Young people’s active involvement in gambling – top ten gambling activities young people spent their own money on
Figure 1 information
GAMSPEND4. And when did you last spend money on [this activity or these activities]? Was it …?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering (3,453).
Note: multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100 percent.
| Top ten gambling activities young people spent their own money on | Percentage (multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100 percent) |
|---|---|
| Spent money on any gambling activity in last 12 months | 26% |
| Played arcade gaming machines | 19% |
| Placed a bet for money between friends or family | 11% |
| Played cards for money | 5% |
| Played fruit or slot machines | 3% |
| Played bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club | 1% |
| Placed a bet on esports | 1% |
| Placed a bet at a betting shop or bookies | 1% |
| National Lottery scratchcards | 1% |
| National Lottery draw | 1% |
Young people were more likely to spend their own money on regulated forms of gambling (19 percent), than unregulated forms of gambling (14 percent) in the last 12 months. The figure for regulated forms of gambling includes machines and bingo play in premises that are not regulated by the Gambling Commission but have a permit from the local council, while the unregulated figure includes bingo play in premises where bingo is licensed, requires permits and where no permission is required (further explanation of terms used in the report can be found in Appendices . Removing arcade gaming machines, which young people can play legally, the percentage of 11 to 17 year olds who spent their own money on forms of regulated gambling falls to 4 percent.
Young people were also more likely to spend their own money on regulated forms of gambling than unregulated forms of gambling in 2022. The proportions, however, have decreased this year from 23 percent and 18 percent respectively.
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Variations in active involvement in gambling
Last updated: 15 December 2023
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