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

Recall of gambling advertising or promotions

Almost 9 in 10 young people (89%) had seen or heard adverts or promotion about gambling through either an online or offline source.

Around 4 in 5 cited an offline source (82%), with TV being the most common (69%), followed by sports events, including branding on players' shirts and around pitches (51%), and posters or billboards (50%). Of young people, 4 in 10 had seen or heard gambling adverts on the radio (40%) or in newspapers or magazines (41%).

A similar proportion overall cited an online source (80%), with apps (68%) and social media (61%) being the most frequently mentioned online channels, while around half (49%) recalled seeing gambling adverts on live streaming or video-sharing platforms. Of young people, 2 in 5 (40%) recalled seeing gambling adverts on another website and just over 1 in 5 (22%) recalled hearing gambling adverts on a podcast.

Figure 4.1: Recall of sources of gambling adverts or promotion within the past 12 months

Figure 4.1 information

GC_ADAWARE. Have you seen or heard adverts or promotion about gambling in any of the following places?
Base: All participants answering each type of advertising 2026 (3,726).
Note: This is a multiple response question, so the responses shown will not add up to 100%.

Recall of sources of gambling adverts or promotion within the past 12 months

Exposure to gambling advertising or promotions	2026 (percentage) (this is a multiple response question; therefore, answers will not add up to 100%)
Gambling adverts offline and/or online	89%
Gambling adverts offline	82%
Gambling advert online	80%
On TV	69%
On an app	68%
On social media	61%
At a sports event	51%
On posters or billboards	50%
On live streaming or video sharing platforms	49%
In newspapers or magazines	41%
On the radio	40%
On another website	40%
On a podcast	22%

The analysis reveals notable differences between boys and girls in exposure to gambling-related adverts or promotions, with boys significantly more likely than girls to encounter these across all platforms measured. Notably:

• at sports events: 61% of boys, compared with 42% of girls
• on posters or billboards: 56% of boys, compared with 42% of girls
• live streaming or video sharing platforms: 57% of boys, compared with 39% of girls.

Young people who considered themselves to be risk-takers and those who have seen a family member gamble were more likely to recall seeing or hearing gambling-related adverts or promotions across all listed sources.

Recall of gambling advertising increased between 2025 and 2026 across both offline and online sources, with significant increases observed across a number of individual advertising channels, as shown in Table 4.1.

Table 4.1: Recall of sources of gambling adverts or promotion 2025 to 2026

GC_ADAWARE. Have you seen or heard adverts or promotion about gambling in any of the following places?
Base: All answering 2025: TV (3,526), Radio (3,520), Podcast (3,520), Sports event (3,519), Newspapers or magazines (3,519), Posters and/or billboards (3,520), On an app (3,522), Social media (3,523), Live streaming or video-sharing platforms (3,519), Other websites (3,508).
Base: All answering 2026: TV (3,726), Radio (3,731), Podcast (3,731), Sports event (3,733), Newspapers or magazines (3,732), Posters and/or billboards (3,726), On an app (3,733), Social media (3,732), Live streaming or video-sharing platforms (3,723), Other websites (3,703).
Note: This is a multiple response question, so the responses shown will not add up to 100%.

Table 4.1: Recall of sources of gambling adverts or promotion 2025 to 2026

Exposure to gambling adverts	2025 (percentage) (multiple response question, answers do not sum to 100%)	2026 (percentage) (multiple response question, answers do not sum to 100%)	Statistical difference 2026 compared with 2025
Gambling adverts offline	77%	82%	Significant increase
Gambling adverts online	74%	80%	Significant increase
On TV	64%	69%	Significant increase
On an app	63%	68%	Significant increase
On social media	56%	61%	Significant increase
At a sports event	47%	51%	Significant increase
On posters or billboards	45%	50%	Significant increase
On live streaming or video sharing platforms	42%	49%	Significant increase
In newspapers or magazines	39%	41%	No significant difference
On the radio	39%	40%	No significant difference
On another website	37%	40%	Significant increase
On a podcast	18%	22%	Significant increase

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Frequency of seeing or hearing gambling adverts or promotions

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Last updated: 12 November 2026

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