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 covers young people’s recall of gambling adverts, including the frequency and perceived impact of exposure, as well as their experiences of following gambling-related content on social media, streaming platforms and influencers.

Exposure to gambling advertising was widespread among young people, with 89% reporting that they had seen or heard gambling promotions through either online or offline channels. Offline advertising reached 82% of young people, most commonly through television (69%), sports events (51%), and posters or billboards (50%). Exposure through online channels was similarly prevalent (80%), with apps (68%) and social media (61%) the most frequently cited sources, followed by live streaming and video-sharing platforms (49%).

The data indicates that social media, apps, and live streaming or video-sharing platforms are the most frequently mentioned channels through which young people encounter gambling-related advertisements on a weekly basis. Specifically, 55% of young people reported seeing adverts on social media at least once a week, 53% on live streaming or video-sharing platforms, followed by 52% via TV and 51% on apps. Overall, offline sources showing gambling-related adverts were typically seen less frequently than online sources.

A minority of young people (10%) who recalled seeing a gambling-related advert reported that these promotions prompted them to spend money on gambling that they had not previously planned.

Of the 15% of young individuals who follow gambling-related content on social media, 38% reported that influencers had advertised gambling-related content to them.

Next section
Recall of gambling advertising or promotions

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Last updated: 12 November 2026

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