Report

Young People and Gambling 2026: Official statistics

Gambling Commission report produced by Ipsos on young people and their gambling behaviour, attitudes and awareness in 2026.

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Published
12 November 2026

Last updated
12 November 2026 - Changes

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Contents

• Young People and Gambling 2026: Official statistics

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• Executive summary
• • Introduction
  • Headlines
  • Survey strengths and limitations
  • Presentation and interpretation of data
  • Key terms used in the report
  • Acknowledgements
• Wider experience of gambling
• • Summary
  • Definitions
  • 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 experienced gambling
  • Being stopped from gambling for being too young
  • Gambling in the context of young people’s spare time activities
  • Gambling in the context of other risk-taking behaviours
• Active involvement in gambling and experience of problem gambling
• • Summary
  • Definitions
  • Young people's active involvement in gambling
  • Reasons why young people gamble
  • The youth adapted gambling screen
• Trends in gambling behaviours: 2022 to 2026
• • Summary
  • Experience of gambling
  • Active involvement in gambling
  • Trends in the youth adapted gambling screen
• Young people’s exposure to gambling
• • Summary
  • Recall of gambling advertising or promotions
  • Frequency of seeing or hearing gambling adverts or promotions
  • Perceived impact of gambling adverts on unplanned spending
  • Engagement with gambling-related content on social media
  • The role of influencers in advertising gambling-related content
• The impact of gambling on young people
• • Summary
  • Experience of ever seeing a family member gambling
  • Impact of seeing a family member gamble
  • Impact on sleep
  • Impact on wellbeing
  • Impact on school attendance and relationships
• Gambling activities and gaming
• • Summary
  • Overall experience of playing games and gaming machines
  • Types of gaming machine played
  • Playing arcade machines in adult-only areas
  • Who young people were with in an adult-only area
  • Online gambling
  • Lottery play
  • Gaming
• Perspectives on gambling: Awareness, attitudes and behaviours
• • Summary
  • Feeling informed about gambling
  • Speaking to someone about gambling problems
  • Feeling informed about gambling: 2025 to 2026
  • Reasons why young people do not gamble
  • Young people who consider themselves risk-takers
• Appendices
• • Introduction
  • The DSM-IV-MR-J problem gambler screen
  • Research design
  • List of gambling activities and definitions
  • Questionnaire

Presentation and interpretation of data

The survey data reported here has been weighted to ensure the findings are representative of young people in eligible secondary schools and colleges in England, Scotland and Wales. Applying weights to the data, while tending to make the quoted figures more representative of the population of interest, also reduces the statistical reliability of the data. As noted previously, results from any survey are estimates, and there is a margin of error associated with each figure quoted. Essentially, the smaller the sample size, the greater the uncertainty.

Unless otherwise stated, differences reported between subgroups are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level and are based on sufficient sample sizes. Small differences that fall within the margin of error are reported as showing 'no significant difference'.

When different response categories are combined (for example 'strongly agree' and 'agree') then the combined figure may sometimes differ slightly from the total that would be obtained by summing the 2 separate percentage figures. This is due to the rounding of figures to the nearest whole number.

Subgroup findings based on fewer than 50 respondents are not generally reported. Where findings based on small groups are included because they are important to understanding the results, the relevant bases and limitations are identified. Statistical significance testing can help determine whether an observed difference is unlikely to be due to sampling variation, but it does not remove the additional uncertainty associated with a small base or establish that the relationship is causal.

Findings based on small sample sizes should be treated as indicative and should not be over-interpreted or used to draw strong conclusions about the wider population. Particular caution should be exercised when grossing up such findings to estimate the number of young people in the wider population, as grossing up does not reduce the statistical uncertainty associated with the original survey estimate. A wide confidence interval around a percentage will translate into a potentially wide range around the corresponding population estimate. Grossed-up figures based on small samples should therefore be presented as estimates, alongside their confidence intervals and unweighted bases, rather than being interpreted as precise counts of young people. When interpreting survey findings, users should consider the size and context of an estimate, as well as whether any differences are statistically significant.

The annual survey datasets are designed to support comparisons between separately weighted estimates for each survey year. As each dataset has been weighted independently to reflect the population and survey design applicable to that year, no common weighting variable is available to produce representative estimates from an aggregated, multi-year dataset. Combining the datasets without developing and validating an appropriate pooled weighting approach could give disproportionate influence to particular years and produce estimates that do not represent a clearly defined population. Trends should therefore be examined using the separately weighted annual estimates presented in the report.

Care is also required when interpreting changes over time. Changes to the questionnaire, response options, survey context or eligible sample can affect comparability. In particular, the survey sample was broadened from 2023 to include Year 12 pupils, extending coverage to 17 year olds, and independent schools. Some differences between the 2022 survey and surveys conducted from 2023 onwards may therefore reflect changes in the composition and coverage of the sample, as well as underlying changes in young people’s attitudes and behaviours. Where a measure is not directly comparable with previous years, this is stated in the relevant section and a trend comparison is not presented. Further information about the interpretation of trends is provided in the trends in gambling behaviours: 2022 to 2026 section.

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Survey strengths and limitations Next section
Key terms used in the report

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Last updated: 12 November 2026

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