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.
Contents
- Executive summary
- 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
- Trends in gambling behaviours: 2022 to 2026
- 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
This section explores who young people were with when they play in an adult-only section of an amusement arcade.
The majority of young people who gambled within adult-only areas did so in the company of a parent, carer or guardian (56%), with a friend aged 18 or over (12%), or an older sibling aged 18 or older (8%).
However, 18% were alone, and 19% were with a friend aged 17 or younger, 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 2026 (123).
Note: This is a multiple response questions, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.
| Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months | 2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%) |
|---|---|
| Parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s) | 56% |
| Friend(s) aged 17 or younger | 19% |
| I was alone | 18% |
| Friend(s) aged 18 or older | 12% |
| Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 18 or older | 8% |
| Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 17 or younger | 6% |
| Others | 4% |
| Do not know | 2% |
The proportions of young people reporting who they were with when playing in an adult-only area have remained broadly stable between 2025 and 2026. The most notable change is the proportion of young people who were with friends aged 18 or over, which has more than doubled from 5% in 2025 to 12% in 2026.
Among young people who had experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months, parents, carers or guardians remained the most commonly reported companions in both years, cited by over half of respondents (57% in 2025 and 56% in 2026). There was no statistically significant change in this measure, indicating that parental or guardian accompaniment continues to be the predominant context in which young people encounter gambling activities in adult-only environments.
Table 6.3: Who young people were with when they experienced gambling activities in an adult-only area within the past 12 months 2025 to 2026
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), 2026 (123).
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%) |
2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%) |
Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s) | 57% | 56% | No significant difference |
| Friend(s) aged 17 or younger | 18% | 19% | No significant difference |
| I was alone | 15% | 18% | No significant difference |
| Friend(s) aged 18 or over | 5% | 12% | Significant increase |
| Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 18 or over | 10% | 8% | No significant difference |
| Brother(s) or sister(s) aged 17 or younger | 12% | 6% | No significant difference |
| Others | 2% | 4% | No significant difference |
| Do not know | 6% | 2% | No significant difference |
Playing arcade machines in adult-only areas Next section
Online gambling
Last updated: 12 November 2026
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