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Report

Young People and Gambling 2024: Official statistics

Gambling Commission report produced by Ipsos on young people and their gambling behaviour, attitudes and awareness in 2024.

Published
7 November 2024

Last updated
7 November 2024 - Changes

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Contents

Applying the DSM-IV-MR-J youth adapted problem gambling screen

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) screen is applied to assess whether respondents who gamble are defined as experiencing 'problems' with their gambling. In the adolescent gambling field, this is one of the most widely used instruments to assess experience of 'problem' gambling among this age group1.

A two-step eligibility criteria were used in applying the DSM-IV-MR-J screen. Firstly, respondents had to indicate that they had spent their own money on at least one gambling activity on at least one occasion in the last 12 months to answer all of 9 components of the problem gambling screener. A full list of gambling activities can be found in Table A.1. Secondly, young people who answered ‘prefer not to say’ throughout the gambling screen were excluded.

In total 1,048 individuals qualified for the DSM-IV-MR-J screen.

Points were then allocated to each respondent based on the answers they gave to the 9 components (or questions) which are used to define typologies of young people who gamble, as set out in Table A.1.

The screen questions use frequency scales of ‘Never’, ‘Once or twice’, ‘Sometimes’ or ‘Often’. Each respondent was allocated a point for each of the 9 criteria that they met. Scores are grouped into the following categories:

DSM-IV-MR-J score 0 or 1: Representing a young person who does not experience any ‘problems’ with their gambling.

DSM-IV-MR-J score 2 or 3: Representing a young person who is ‘at-risk’.

DSM-IV-MR-J score 4 or more: Representing a young person experiencing ‘problems’ with their gambling.

Table A.1 indicates how the questions asked in 2024 mapped onto the DSM-IV-MR-J screen components and the percentage of young people who gave the required answers to each question when the scoring system was applied to the data.

Table A.1: Gambling criteria from the DSM-IV-MR-J screen

Table A.1: Gambling criteria from the DSM-IV-MR-J screen
2024 question name DSM-IV criteria Question wording: ‘In the past 12 months …’ If any of the following answer criteria are ticked, that qualifies as 1 point Young people scoring
Percentage Number of participants
GC_PREOCC Pre-occupation How often have you found yourself thinking about gambling or planning to gamble ‘Often’ 2% (65)
GC_ESCAPE Escape How often have you gambled to help you escape from problems or when you are feeling bad ‘Sometimes’ or ‘often’ 2% (66)
GC_WITHD Withdrawal Have you felt bad or fed up when trying to cut down on gambling ‘Sometimes’ or ‘often’ 1% (35)
GC_TOLERNCE Tolerance Have you needed to gamble with more and more money to get the amount of excitement you want ‘Sometimes’ or ‘often’ 2% (71)
GC_LOSSCON Loss of control Have you ever spent much more than you planned to on gambling ‘Sometimes’ or ‘often’ 2% (80)
GC_ILLEGAL Taken money Have you ever taken money from any of the following without permission to spend on gambling: dinner money or fare money, money from family, money from things you’ve sold, money from outside the family, somewhere else If any one or more of these options are ticked, then qualifies for one point in total 3% (98)
GC_LEDRISKEDFAM and GC_LEDRISKEDSCHL Risked relationships Has your gambling ever led to the following:
a) arguments with family or friends or others,
b) missing school		 If any of the following are ticked, then qualifies for one point in total: ‘once or twice’, ‘sometimes’ or ‘often’ 2%
1%		 (71)
(46)
GC_LEDLYING Lying Has your gambling ever led to telling lies to family or friends or others ‘Once or twice’ ‘sometimes’ or ‘often’ 2% (74)
GC_CHASING Chasing After losing money by gambling, have you returned another day to try to win back the money you lost ‘More than half the time’ or ‘every time’ 2% (62)

Sample sizes prevent sub-group analysis of the young people defined under each component.

All percentages shown are based on the full sample of 3,869 11 to 17 year olds (24 were aged 18).

References

1 Fisher, S (2000). Developing the DSM-IV Criteria to Identify Adolescent Problem Gambling in Non-Clinical Populations, Journal of Gambling Studies Volume 16 No. 2/3.

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