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
Gambling in the context of young people’s spare time activities
The survey also explores young people’s self-reported involvement in various leisure activities, allowing for a comparison between trends in gambling activities and recreational pursuits.
As shown in Table 1.6, the most popular activities were listening to music (42%), playing games on a phone, tablet, laptop or console (41%), meeting up with friends (38%), and taking part in sports or exercise (38%). Other popular leisure activities included watching programmes on television or through streaming services (29%), spending time with family (28%), and chatting with friends on the phone or online through social media (27%).
For context, 45% of young people experienced gambling in the last 12 months, while 26% reported active involvement in gambling through spending their own money. Compared with the leisure activities shown in Table 1.6, active involvement in gambling was reported at a lower level than popular activities such as listening to music, playing games on a device, meeting up with friends and taking part in sport or exercise. These comparisons should be interpreted with caution. The measure of gambling participation is derived from a detailed series of questions designed to capture a range of gambling behaviours, while participation in leisure activities was assessed using a single question. As a result, differences may reflect methodological differences in how activities were measured, as well as differences in actual participation.
Table 1.6: Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months 2026
GC_SPARE. In your spare time, what are the things that you like to do most?
Base: All answering (3,804).
| Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months in 2026 | 2026 (percentage) |
|---|---|
| Listening to music | 42% |
| Playing games on my phone, iPad, laptop or on a console (for example, Play Station, Nintendo Switch) | 41% |
| Meeting up with friends | 38% |
| Taking part in sports (for example football, netball, swimming, gymnastics) and/or exercising (for example gym, workout classes, walking, hiking) | 38% |
| Watching programmes on TV or through streaming services | 29% |
| Spending time with my family | 28% |
| Chatting on the phone with my friends and/or spending time online with friends on social media | 27% |
| Shopping | 12% |
| Reading (books or magazines) | 11% |
| Cooking | 8% |
| Going to the cinema, theatre or concerts | 6% |
| Taking part in fantasy football leagues | 3% |
There were notable differences by gender:
- boys were more likely to play games on a device (58%), take part in fantasy football leagues (5%) and play sports (48%)
- girls were more likely to meet up with friends (44%), chat on the phone with friends and/or spend time online with friends on social media (30%), listen to music (49%), read books (14%), cook (10%), go shopping (22%), and go to the cinema, theatre or concerts (8%).
There were also differences by age with 11 to 13 year olds more likely to play games on their device (45%, compared with 38% of 14 to 17 year olds), take part in fantasy football leagues (4%, compared with 2%) and spend time with family (32%, compared with 24%). Older groups were more likely to listen to music (46% of 14 to 17 year olds compared with 36% of 11 to 13 year olds).
As shown in Table 1.7, there were several changes in the leisure activities that young people reported enjoying most in their spare time. The proportion who reported listening to music increased from 39% in 2025 to 42% in 2026, while the proportion who reported watching programmes on television or through streaming services increased from 21% to 29%.
Over the same period, there were decreases in the proportion who reported spending time with their family (32% in 2025 and 28% in 2026), shopping (16% and 12% respectively), and cooking (10% and 8% respectively). There were no significant changes in the proportion who reported playing games on a device, meeting up with friends, taking part in sports or exercise, chatting with friends by phone or on social media, reading, or going to the cinema, theatre or concerts.
Table 1.7: Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months 2025 to 2026
GC_SPARE. In your spare time, what are the things that you like to do most?
Base: All answering 2025 (3,603) 2026 (3,804).
| Things that young people like to do most in their spare time in the past 12 months, 2025 to 2026 | 2025 (percentage) | 2026 (percentage) | Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening to music | 39% | 42% | Significant increase |
| Playing games on my phone, iPad, laptop or on a console (for example, Play Station, Nintendo Switch) | 39% | 41% | No significant difference |
| Meeting up with friends | 40% | 38% | No significant difference |
| Taking part in sports (for example football, netball, swimming, gymnastics) and/or exercising (for example gym, workout classes, walking, hiking) | 40% | 38% | No significant difference |
| Watching programmes on TV or through streaming services | 21% | 29% | Significant increase |
| Spending time with my family | 32% | 28% | Significant decrease |
| Chatting on the phone with my friends and/or spending time online with friends on social media | 28% | 27% | No significant difference |
| Shopping | 16% | 12% | Significant decrease |
| Reading (books or magazines) | 10% | 11% | No significant difference |
| Cooking | 10% | 8% | Significant decrease |
| Going to the cinema, theatre or concerts | 5% | 6% | No significant difference |
| Taking part in fantasy football leagues | 2% | 3% | Significant increase |
Being stopped from gambling for being too young Next section
Gambling in the context of other risk-taking behaviours
Last updated: 12 November 2026
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