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
Reasons why young people do not gamble
Young people who had never spent their own money on gambling (including those who had never participated in any gambling activities) were asked why.
The 2 most common reasons are a lack of interest, mentioned by 40 percent of young people who do not gamble and because it is illegal for someone of their age, mentioned by 36 percent. A quarter (24 percent) said they did not gamble because their parents would not want them to or allow them to.
Another 2 key reasons for why young people do not gamble is the desire to avoid playing with real money and preference to play free games (22 percent), and general disagreement with gambling, believing it is not right (21 percent).
Figure 7.1 provides a more detailed look at the reasons young people select for not gambling.
Figure 7.1: Reasons for not gambling within the past 12 months
Figure 7.1 information
GC_NEVER: You said that you have never gambled or never spent your own money on gambling. Why is that?
Base: All participants (answering) who have never spent their own money on gambling 2025 (2,000).
Note: This is a multiple response questions, therefore answers do not sum to 100 percent.
| Reasons for not gambling | 2025 (percentage) (multiple response question, therefore, answers do not sum to 100 percent) |
|---|---|
| It is not something I am interested in | 40% |
| It is illegal or I am too young to do this | 36% |
| My parents would not want to me or allow me to | 24% |
| I do not want to play with real money or I would rather play free games | 22% |
| I do not agree with gambling or it is not right | 21% |
| Because it might lead to future problems | 19% |
| It is against my religion | 18% |
| Because I will lose more than I will win | 17% |
| Because I am not likely to win money | 15% |
| I do not know enough about these gambling games | 10% |
| Other | 5% |
| Do not know | 11% |
Girls were more likely to say that gambling is not something they are interested in as a reason for not gambling than boys (47 percent, compared with 35 percent). On the other hand, boys are more likely to say they do not gamble because they will lose more than they win (19 percent, compared with 15 percent).
By age, older groups (aged 14 to 17 years old) were more likely to say gambling is not something they are interested in (45 percent, compared with 40 percent, overall), or that it is against their religion (22 percent, compared with 18 percent. In contrast, those aged 11 to 13 years old are more likely to say that their parents would not want or allow them to gamble (27 percent, compared with 24 percent, overall), as well as because it is illegal or too young to do this (39 percent, compared with 36 percent, overall).
The reasons for not gambling differ depending on whether young people have seen their family member’s gamble. Those who see family members gamble give their reasons in monetary terms, such as winning and losing money. They are more likely to say they do not gamble because they are not likely to win money (20 percent, compared with 15 percent) or because they will lose more than they win (21 percent, compared with 15 percent). This compares to those who do not see family members gamble, who attribute this to a general disinterest. This group are more likely to mention that it is not something they are interested in (44 percent), they believe it might lead to problems (21 percent), do not agree with it (25 percent), and is against their religion (25 percent).
Since the survey was conducted in 2024, the proportion of young people mentioning that gambling is not something they are interested in has increased from 36 percent in 2024 to 40 percent in 2025. In addition, the proportion of young people mentioning gambling being against their religion as a reason not to gamble increased from 15 percent in 2024, to 18 percent in 2025.
Table 7.4: Reasons for not gambling 2024 to 2025
GC_NEVER: You said that you have never gambled or never spent your own money on gambling. Why is that?
Base : All participants (answering) who have never spent their own money on gambling 2024 (2,075) 2025 (2,000).
| Reasons for not gambling | 2024 (percentage) | 2025 (percentage) | Statistical difference 2025 compared with 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| It is not something I am interested in | 36% | 40% | Significant increase |
| It is illegal or I am too young to do this | 36% | 36% | No significant difference |
| I do not want to play with real money or I would rather play free games | 23% | 22% | No significant difference |
| My parents would not want to me or allow me to | 22% | 24% | No significant difference |
| I do not agree with gambling or it is not right | 20% | 21% | No significant difference |
| Because it might lead to future problems | 19% | 19% | No significant difference |
| Because I will lose more than I will win | 17% | 17% | No significant difference |
| Because I am not likely to win money | 16% | 15% | No significant difference |
| It is against my religion | 15% | 18% | Significant increase |
| I do not know enough about these gambling games | 10% | 10% | No significant difference |
| Other | 1% | 5% | Significant increase |
| Do not know | 9% | 11% | No significant increase |
Speaking to someone about gambling problems Next section
Young people who consider themselves risk-takers
Last updated: 13 November 2025
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