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
-
- 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
Who young people were with in an adult-only area
A new question was included in 2025 to explore who young people are with when they play in an adult-only section of an amusement arcade.
While the majority (57 percent) of young people who gambled within adult-only areas, did so in the company of a parent, carer or guardian, 15 percent were alone. One in five (18 percent) were with a friend aged 17 or younger, 12 percent were with a sibling aged 17 or younger and 10 percent were with an older sibling, aged 18 or older, as shown in Figure 6.2.
Figure 6.2: Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months
Figure 6.2 information
GC_FRUITWHO. And in this adult (18 years old and above) only section, who were you with?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have ever played in an adults-only area 2025 (167).
Note: This is a multiple response questions, therefore answers do not sum to 100 percent.
| Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months | 2025 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100 percent) |
|---|---|
| Parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s) | 57% |
| Friend(s) aged 17 or younger | 18% |
| I was alone | 15% |
| Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 17 or younger | 12% |
| Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 18 or older | 10% |
| Friend(s) aged 18 or older | 5% |
| Others | 2% |
| Do not know | 6% |
Playing arcade machines in adults-only areas Next section
Online gambling
Last updated: 13 November 2025
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