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

Summary

This section of the report illustrates changes in gambling participation over time, including active involvement. It also examines changes in the proportion classified as young people with gambling problems, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) screen.

Due to questionnaire changes made between 2020 and 2021, the 2022 survey serves as the benchmark against which subsequent waves of research are measured. Accordingly, this section presents findings from 5 Young People and Gambling Surveys conducted between 2022 and 2026, highlighting trends over the period.

When interpreting changes over time, it is important to note that the survey sample was broadened from 2023 onwards. Specifically, Year 12 students were included for the first time, extending coverage to 17 year olds, and the sample of participating schools was expanded to include independent schools. As a result, while the data allow for the examination of trends since 2022, some differences between 2022 and later years may reflect changes in the composition of the sample as well as underlying changes in young people's attitudes and behaviours.

While there were year-on-year variations, long-term trends indicate a decline in gambling participation among young people between 2022 and 2026. Decreases were observed in young people’s overall gambling experience and participation within the last 12 months, with the proportion who had ever gambled falling from 60% to 55%, and those gambling in the last 12 months decreasing from 50% to 45%.

The proportion of young people who spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months fell from 31% in 2022 to 26% in 2026. Significant decreases were also observed among those who had spent money on gambling in the previous 4 weeks (18% to 12%). The proportion who had gambled in the previous 7 days remained at comparatively low levels across all 5 survey years.

The top 10 gambling activities that young people spend their own money was broadly consistent over time, with arcade gaming machines remaining the most common activity each year (22% in 2022 and 19% in 2026), followed by betting for money between friends or family, falling from 15% to 11% over the same period. Both activities saw statistically significant decreases between 2022 and 2026.

Based on the DSM-IV-MR-J screening tool, which identifies young people experiencing gambling-related problems according to their reported gambling behaviours, there was no evidence of a long term change in the proportion of young people categorised as at-risk (score 2 or 3) or problem gambling (score 4 or more). These groups remained relatively small, at around 2% and 1% respectively, although the proportion classified as low risk (score 0 or 1) varied over the period.

Next section
Experience of gambling

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Last updated: 12 November 2026

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