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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.

Contents


Overall experience of playing games and gaming machines

When broadening the scope to look at those young people who have experience of playing games and gaming machines, not just those who have spent their own money on these activities, then arcade gaming machines, such as penny pushers or claw grab machines, continue to be the most common type of gambling activity amongst young people. Exactly 3 in 10 (30 percent) of young people had experienced playing arcade gaming machines in the last 12 months.

Experience was greater amongst those aged 11 to 13 than those aged 14 to 17 (34 percent, compared to 28 percent). Differences were also apparent by ethnicity, with young people from white ethnic groups (34 percent) more likely to have played arcade gaming machines in the last 12 months than young people from black and other minority ethnic backgrounds (23 percent).

Fewer young people overall had experienced playing fruit or slot machines or gambling machines in betting shops. A total of 7 percent of young people had played fruit or slot machines in the last 12 months, whilst 1 percent reported having played gambling machines in a betting shop. There were no statistically significant differences in experience of either fruit or slot machines or gambling machines within betting shops within the past year by gender, age or ethnicity.

Around 1 in 12 (8 percent) young people had played cards for money (for example with friends or family) within the last 12 months. Boys were statistically more likely than girls to have had experience of playing cards for money in the past year (9 percent, compared to 7 percent), whilst those aged 14 to 17 were more likely than those aged 11 to 13 (10 percent, compared to 6 percent).

When looking at figures across the last 3 years, while playing arcade gaming machines has remained the most cited gambling activity amongst young people, the proportion is significantly lower in 2024 (30 percent) than it was in 2022 (35 percent).

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Young people spending their own money on games and gaming machines
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Who young people were with when they played gaming machines
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