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
The impact of gambling on school attendance
The following 3 questions form part of the youth adapted Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition – Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) screen.
A net figure for ‘Done so at least once in the past 12 months’ has been used to the report the impact that gambling can have on young people. This was derived from responses of ‘once or twice’, ‘sometimes’ or ‘often’.
Young people were asked whether gambling had ever led to them missing school in the past 12 months.
A small proportion (2 percent) of those who had spent their own money gambling in the last 12 months, noted that this had led them to missing school. Young people from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) were more likely to report missing school because of their gambling than those who are white (5 percent, compared with 1 percent).
Figure 5.4: The impact of gambling on school attendance within the past 12 months
Figure 5.4 information
GC_LEDRISKEDSCHL. In the past 12 months has your gambling ever led to the following?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering who have spent their own money gambling in the last 12 months “Missing school” 2025 (1,056).
| The impact of gambling on school attendance | 2025 (percentage) |
|---|---|
| Never | 98% |
| Once or twice | 1% |
| Sometimes | 0% |
| Often | 1% |
Overall, the proportion of young people that had missed school at least once in the past 12 months as a result of gambling has decreased from 5 percent in 2024, to 2 percent in 2025.
Table 5.3: The impact of gambling on school attendance 2024 to 2025
GC_LEDRISKEDSCHL. In the past 12 months has your gambling ever led to the following?
Base: All participants (answering) who have spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months "Missing school" 2024 (935) 2025 (1,056).
| Missing school | 2024 (percentage) | 2025 (percentage) | Statistical difference 2025 compared with 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| My gambling has never led to this | 95% | 98% | Significant increase |
| Once or twice | 2% | 1% | No significant difference |
| Sometimes | 1% | 0% | No significant difference |
| Often | 2% | 1% | No significant difference |
| Done so at least once in the past 12 months | 5% | 2% | Significant decrease |
Impact of seeing a family member gamble Next section
The impact of gambling on relationships
Last updated: 13 November 2025
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