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
Impact of seeing a family member gamble
Young people who had ever seen family members gamble were asked if this had affected specific aspects of their lives either rarely, sometimes, often, all of the time or never. A combination figure for ‘sometimes’, ‘often’, or ‘all of the time’ has been used to report the impact that gambling can have on young people’s well-being, unless specified otherwise.
As shown in Table 5.2, 1 in 10 (9 percent) young people say that their family’s gambling has helped to pay for other things or activities, for example, holidays, trips, clubs. Smaller proportions of young people reported that family members gambling impacted on parents or guardians having time to spend with young people (4 percent) or the availability of food at home or money on school canteen card and/or account (mentioned by 2 percent). However, 7 percent of young people felt that it had resulted in more arguments or tension at home.
Girls were more likely to report that family members gambling impacted on the time parents or guardians had free to spend with them (6 percent of girls, compared with 3 percent of boys) and that it led to more arguments and tension in the home (9 percent of girls, compared with 4 percent of boys).
There were also variations by ethnicity: Young people from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) were more likely to mention the impact that family members gambling had on the time parents or guardians had free to spend with them (10 percent, compared with 3 percent of young people who are white), the availability of food at home or money on school canteen accounts (6 percent, compared with 1 percent of young people who are white) and in terms of arguments and tension in the home (14 percent, compared with 5 percent of young people who are white).
Compared with 2024, there were significant decreases in the proportion of young people indicating that their family’s gambling sometimes, often, or all of the time led to any of the listed aspects. However, shifts in the data over time should be interpreted with caution due to modifications in the questionnaire's order and structure for this section.
Table 5.1: The impact of family members’ gambling on young people’s well-being 2024 to 2025
GC_FAMGAMFOOD, GC_FAMGAMPAY, GC_FAMLEDTME, GC_FAMLEDARG. Thinking about the last 12 months, how often, if at all.
Base: All answering who have seen family members live with gamble – “Stopped you from having enough food (food at home or money on school canteen card and/or account” 2024 (889), 2025 (997); “Helped your family pay for other things or activities” 2024 (890), 2025 (1,000); “Your parents or guardians having less time to spend with you” 2024 (888), 2025 (999); “More arguments or tension at home” 2024 (891), 2025 (1,000).
| Helped your family pay for other things or activities | 2024 (percentage) | 2025 (percentage) | Statistical difference 2025 compared with 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never | 66% | 76% | Significant increase |
| Rarely | 11% | 10% | No significant difference |
| Sometimes | 8% | 7% | No significant difference |
| Often | 2% | 1% | No significant difference |
| All the time | 3% | 1% | Significant decrease |
| Do not know | 6% | 6% | No significant difference |
| Sometimes, often and all the time | 13% | 9% | Significant decrease |
| Stopped you from having enough food | 2024 (percentage) | 2025 (percentage) | Statistical difference 2025 compared with 2024 |
| Never | 86% | 94% | Significant increase |
| Rarely | 3% | 1% | Significant decrease |
| Sometimes | 1% | * | No significant difference |
| Often | 1% | 1% | No significant difference |
| All the time | 2% | 1% | No significant difference |
| Do not know | 3% | 2% | No significant difference |
| Sometimes, often and all the time | 4% | 2% | Significant decrease |
| Your parents or guardians having less time to spend with you | 2024 (percentage) | 2025 (percentage) | Statistical difference 2025 compared with 2024 |
| Never | 80% | 90% | Significant increase |
| Rarely | 6% | 3% | Significant increase |
| Sometimes | 4% | 2% | Significant decrease |
| Often | 1% | 1% | No significant difference |
| All the time | 2% | 1% | No significant difference |
| Do not know | 3% | 2% | No significant difference |
| Sometimes, often and all the time | 7% | 4% | Significant decrease |
| More arguments or tension at home | 2024 (percentage) | 2025 (percentage) | Statistical difference 2025 compared with 2024 |
| Never | 77% | 87% | Significant increase |
| Rarely | 6% | 4% | Significant decrease |
| Sometimes | 3% | 3% | No significant difference |
| Often | 3% | 2% | No significant difference |
| All the time | 2% | 2% | No significant difference |
| Do not know | 3% | 3% | No significant difference |
| Sometimes, often and all the time | 9% | 7% | Significant decrease |
Loss of sleep
Young people who had ever seen family members in their household gamble, were asked how often, if at all, they lost sleep because they worried about the gambling of a family member or someone else who is responsible for looking after them.
One in ten (12 percent) young people had lost sleep, at least once in the past 12 months, because they were worrying about the gambling of a family member or someone who is responsible for looking after them.
This finding is consistent across all subgroups apart from young people from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) who were more likely than those who are white to have lost sleep worrying about the gambling of a family member or someone who is responsible for them, at least some of the time (23 percent, compared with 10 percent).
Figure 5.2: The impact that family members’ gambling can have on young people’s sleep due to worry within the past 12 months
Figure 5.2 information
GC _SLEEPFAMGAM. Over the past year, how often, if at all, have you lost sleep at night because…
Base: All 11-17 year olds answering, “You have been worrying about the gambling of a family member or someone who is responsible for looking after you” 2025 (970)
| The impact that family members’ gambling can have on young people’s sleep due to worry | 2025 (percentage) (You have been worrying about the gambling of a family member or someone who is responsible for looking after you) |
|---|---|
| Never | 86% |
| Rarely | 6% |
| Sometimes | 2% |
| Often | 2% |
| All the time | 2% |
| Do not know | 1% |
Feeling worried or sad
Overall, 7 percent of young people who had seen family members they live with gamble, say this has made them feel sad at least once in the past 12 months.
Girls were more likely than boys to say that family members gambling had made them feel sad, at least once in the past 12 months (9 percent, compared with 5 percent). Those from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) were also more likely than those who are white to say that seeing a family member gambling made them feel sad (15 percent, compared with 6 percent).
One in ten (10 percent) young people who saw family members they live with gamble say that this made them worried at least once in the past 12 months.
Once again, girls were more likely than boys to say that family members gambling made them worried, at least sometimes (13 percent, compared with 7 percent) as were those from ethnic minorities (19 percent, compared with 7 percent of young people from white ethnic backgrounds).
Figure 5.3: The impact of family members’ gambling on young people’s emotions within the past 12 months
Figure 5.3 information
GC_NEWFELTBADFAMSAD, GC_NEWFELTBADFAMWOR. In the past 12 months how often, if at all, would you say that gambling among your family members and/or people you live with has made you feel…
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have seen family members live with gamble “Worried” 2025 (999), “Sad” 2025 (996).
| The impact of family members’ gambling on young people’s emotions | 2025 (percentage) | |
|---|---|---|
| Worried | Sad | |
| Never | 88% | 91% |
| Rarely | 4% | 3% |
| Sometimes | 3% | 2% |
| Often | 2% | 1% |
| All the time | 1% | 2% |
| Do not know | 2% | 2% |
The proportion of young people who felt sad or worried due to a family member or person they live with gambling in the last 12 months has remained consistent, as shown in Table 5.4.
Table 5.2: The impact of family members’ gambling on young people’s emotions 2024 to 2025
GC_NEWFELTBADFAMSAD. In the past 12 months how often, if at all, would you say that gambling among your family members and or people you live with has made you feel... sad, worried
Base: All participants who have seen family members live with gamble, Sad and worried: 2024 (865), Sad: 2025 (996), Worried: 2025 (999).
| The impact of family members’ gambling on young people feeling sad | 2024 (percentage) | 2025 (percentage) | Statistical difference 2025 compared with 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never | 86% | 91% | Significant increase |
| Rarely | 4% | 3% | No significant difference |
| Sometimes | 2% | 2% | No significant difference |
| Often | 2% | 1% | No significant difference |
| All the time | 1% | 2% | No significant difference |
| At least once in the past 12 months | 9% | 7% | No significant difference |
| The impact of family members’ gambling on young people feeling worried | 2024 (percentage) | 2025 (percentage) | Statistical difference 2025 compared with 2024 |
| Never | 82% | 88% | Significant increase |
| Rarely | 7% | 4% | Significant decrease |
| Sometimes | 4% | 3% | No significant difference |
| Often | 2% | 1% | No significant difference |
| All the time | 1% | 2% | No significant difference |
| At least once in the past 12 months | 14% | 10% | No significant difference |
Experience of ever seeing a family member gambling Next section
The impact of gambling on school attendance
Last updated: 13 November 2025
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