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 explores young people’s wider experience of gambling, covering the types of gambling activities they have engaged in, regardless of whether they were spending their own money, who they were with when they were gambling, as well as how gambling activities compare in relation to other high-risk activities that young people engage in.

Where possible, findings are compared with the 2025 survey to identify changes over time.

In total, just over half (55%) of 11 to 17 year olds had some experience of gambling, with 45% having taken part in at least one gambling activity in the last 12 months.

Play on games and gaming machines was the most prevalent gambling activity. Among them, arcade gaming machines, such as penny pushers or claw grab machines, were the most frequently played, with 32% of young people having participated in such activities within the 12 months.

When engaging in gambling activities, most young people were with a parent, carer or guardian (73%). Around 2 in 5 (38%) were with a friend aged 17 or younger, while less than 1 in 10 (8%) reported gambling alone.

Of those who had ever experienced gambling, 17% reported having been stopped because they were too young.

The survey captures young people’s self-reported involvement in a range of activities that they like to do in their spare time; 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%).

The survey also measured young people’s self-reported involvement in a range of other risk-taking behaviours. Around 3 in 10 (31%) had drunk alcohol in the past 12 months, 11% had used an e-cigarette or vape, 6% had smoked a tobacco cigarette, and 5% had taken illegal drugs (including cannabis).

Next section
Definitions

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Last updated: 12 November 2026

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