Cookies on the Gambling Commission website

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

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.

Contents


Headline statistics

Of young people, 27 percent spent their own money on gambling in the 12 months prior to taking part in the survey.

During that period, the most common types of gambling activity that young people spent their own money on were legal or did not feature age restricted products, namely:

  • playing arcade gaming machines such as penny pusher or claw grab machines (20 percent)
  • placing a bet for money between friends or family (11 percent)
  • playing cards for money (5 percent).

The survey found 21 percent of young people were spending their own money on regulated forms of gambling (which includes some activities that are legal and played within licensed premises), and 15 percent on unregulated forms of gambling (gambling activities which fall outside the remit of the Gambling Commission).

When removing arcade gaming machines, which are legally accessible to young people, 6 percent spent their own money on regulated forms of gambling. This is an increase from 4 percent in 2023.

A total of 1.5 percent of young people scored 4 or more on the youth-adapted problem gambling screen (DSM-IV-MR-J), 1.9 percent scored 2 or 3, and 23.2 percent scored 0 or 1. The proportion of young people overall scoring 4 or more on the DSM-IV-MR-J has risen from 0.7 percent in 2023 to 1.5 percent in 2024.

Just over 1 in 10 (11 percent) said that their own gambling had led them to talk to their parents about how they felt while 9 percent said that gambling had made them feel uncomfortable around their friends (such as feeling embarrassed or feeling friends would not approve), at least sometimes.

A quarter of young people (26 percent) had seen family members they live with gamble, and of that 26 percent, 9 percent indicated that it had resulted in more arguments or tension at home.

Awareness of advertising and marketing has increased between 2023 and 2024 but remains in line with where it was in 2022.

Previous section
Introduction
Next section
Presentation and interpretation of data
Is this page useful?
Back to top