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
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- 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
Experience of different types of gambling activities
Each category of gambling had individual activities listed within it (see definitions at the beginning of the chapter). Across all gambling activities, playing arcade gaming machines (for example, penny pushers and claw grab machines) was by far the most prevalent, with 32% of young people having played them within the last 12 months.
The next most common activities were placing a bet for money between friends or family (15%), playing bingo somewhere other than a bingo club (8%), playing cards for money (8%), and purchasing National Lottery Scratchcards (8%). Fewer young people reported playing fruit or slot machines (5%). National Lottery draws, placing a bet on a betting website or app, and playing an online game on a casino website were each reported by 3% of young people, while 2% reported playing bingo at a bingo club.
Focusing on the most common activity, arcade gaming machines, participation was higher among the following groups:
- those who had previously seen family members gamble (37%) and those who consider themselves to be risk-takers (36%)
- those from white ethnic groups (35%, compared with 28% of young people from ethnic minority groups)
- younger pupils, specifically 13 year olds (36%, compared with 32% overall).
Figure 1.3: Experience in gambling activities in the last 12 months, top 10 individual activities
Figure 1.3 information
GC_GAMSPENDWHEN. Have you ever done any of the following activities? When did you last do this activity? Was it in the last 12 months?
Base: All 11 to 17 year olds answering 2026 (3,867).
Note: this is a multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.
| Experience in gambling activities in the last 12 months, top 10 individual activities | 2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers do not sum to 100%) |
|---|---|
| Played arcade gaming machines | 32% |
| Placed a bet for money between friends or family | 15% |
| Played bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club | 8% |
| Played cards for money | 8% |
| National Lottery scratchcards | 8% |
| Played fruit or slot machines | 5% |
| National Lottery draw | 3% |
| Placed a bet on a betting website and/or app | 3% |
| Played an online game on a casino website | 3% |
| Played bingo at a bingo club | 2% |
The overall decline in gambling participation between 2025 and 2026 was reflected across several individual gambling activities, with notable changes in the proportion of young people who had played arcade gaming machines, decreasing from 35% in 2025 to 32% in 2026 and the proportion who had placed a bet for money between friends or family, falling from 19% to 15%.
Smaller decreases were observed in the proportion who had played bingo somewhere other than a bingo club (10% to 8%) and played fruit or slot machines (7% to 5%). Participation in all other activities remained broadly stable between 2025 and 2026, as illustrated in Table 1.3.
Table 1.3: Experience of gambling activities 2025 to 2026
GC_GAMSPEND. Have you ever done any of the following activities?
Base: All answering 2025 (3,666), 2026 (3,867).
Note: This is a multiple response question, therefore answers do not sum to 100%.
| Experience in gambling activities in the last 12 months, top 10 individual activities in 2025 and 2026 | 2025 (percentage) (multiple response question, therefore, answers do not sum to 100%) |
2026 (percentage) (multiple response question, therefore, answers do not sum to 100%) |
Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Played arcade gaming machines | 35% | 32% | Significant decrease |
| Placed a bet for money between friends or family | 19% | 15% | Significant decrease |
| Played bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club | 10% | 8% | Significant decrease |
| Played cards for money | 9% | 8% | No significant difference |
| National Lottery scratchcards | 7% | 8% | No significant difference |
| Played fruit or slot machines | 7% | 5% | Significant decrease |
| National Lottery draw | 3% | 3% | No significant difference |
| Placed a bet on a betting website and/or app | 3% | 3% | No significant difference |
| Played an online game on a casino website | 3% | 3% | No significant difference |
| Played bingo at a bingo club | 2% | 2% | No significant difference |
Experience of different categories of gambling activities Next section
Who young people were with when they experienced gambling
Last updated: 12 November 2026
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