Report
Young People and Gambling 2025: Official statistics
Gambling Commission report produced by Ipsos on young people and their gambling behaviour, attitudes and awareness in 2025.
Contents
- Executive summary
- Wider experience of gambling
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- Summary
- Wider experience and active involvement in gambling
- Experience of different categories of gambling activities
- Experience of different types of gambling activities
- Who young people were with when they gambled
- Being stopped from gambling for being too young
- Gambling in the context of what young people do in their spare time
- Gambling in the context of other risk taking behaviours
- Active involvement in gambling and experience of problem gambling
- Trends in gambling behaviours: 2022 to 2025
- Young people’s exposure to gambling
- The impact of gambling on young people
- Gambling activities and gaming
- Perspectives on gambling: Awareness, attitudes and behaviours
- Appendices
Types of gaming machine played
Young people who played arcade gaming machines or fruit or slot machines were asked what sort of machine they had played. Claw or crane grab machines (for example toy grab) were the most popular, mentioned by 73 percent of young people, followed by penny falls or penny pusher machines (68 percent).
Fruit machine style games where you win tickets to 'buy' prizes (for example soft toys), were used by 1 in 5 (19 percent) young people who play arcade machines, while quiz game machines were used by around 1 in 10 (12 percent), as seen in figure 6.1.
Figure 6.1: Types of gaming machines played within the past 12 months
Figure 6.1 information
GC_FRUITTYPE. Thinking back to the last time you played ‘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 or slot machines’ 2025 (2,208).
Note: This is a multiple response questions, therefore answers do not sum to 100 percent.
| Types of gaming machines played within the past 12 months | 2025 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100 percent) |
|---|---|
| Claw or crane grab machines | 73% |
| Penny falls or penny pusher machines | 68% |
| Fruit machine style games where you win tickets to ‘buy’ prizes | 19% |
| Quiz game machines – where you win small cash prizes or tickets to ‘buy’ prizes | 12% |
| Fruit machine style games where you win small cash prizes | 8% |
| Other | 6% |
| Do not know | 8% |
Variations in the types of gaming machines played are notable by gender: girls were more likely than boys to play claw or crane grab machines (79 percent, compared with 66 percent) and fruit machine style games machines (21 percent, compared with 16 percent). In contrast, boys were more likely to play fruit machine style games where you win small cash prizes (9 percent, compared with 6 percent of girls).
Gaming machines play was broadly consistent by age apart from younger groups (11 to 13 year olds) who were more likely to have played claw or crane grab machines, than those aged 14 to 17 (75 percent, compared with 70 percent).
Young people from white ethnic groups were more likely to play penny falls or penny pusher machines, compared with those from ethnic minorities (75 percent and 48 percent, respectively). Play on penny falls, or penny pusher machines also differs per country, with those who live in Wales (81 percent) more likely to play than those in England (68 percent) and Scotland (65 percent).
Slightly more young people are playing claw and crane grab machines now than in 2024. The percentage has gone up from 70 percent to 73 percent. On the other hand, fewer young people are playing fruit machines that offer small cash prizes. The percentage for those games has dropped from 10 percent to 8 percent.
Table 6.1: Types of gaming machines played 2024 to 2025
GC_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 participants (answering) who have played arcade gaming machines or fruit or slot machines 2024 (1,889), 2025 (2,208).
| Types of gaming machines played | 2024 (percentage) | 2025 (percentage) | Statistical difference 2025 compared with 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claw or crane grab machines (for example toy grab) | 70% | 73% | Significant increase |
| Penny falls or penny pusher machines (for example 2p machine) | 70% | 68% | No significant difference |
| Fruit machine style games where you win tickets to ‘buy’ prizes (for example soft toys) | 19% | 19% | No significant difference |
| Quiz game machines where you win small cash prizes or tickets to ‘buy’ prizes (for example soft toys) | 13% | 12% | No significant difference |
| Fruit machine style games where you win small cash prizes | 10% | 8% | Significant decrease |
| Other | 1% | 6% | Significant increase |
| Do not know | 8% | 8% | No significant difference |
Overall experience of playing games and gaming machines Next section
Playing arcade machines in adults-only areas
Last updated: 13 November 2025
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