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Report

Young people and gambling: Qualitative research

Qualitative research conducted by 2CV, with 11 to 17 year olds, to build on and contextualise the findings from the annual Young People and Gambling survey.

Published
25 February 2025

Last updated
25 February 2025 - Changes

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Contents

Methodology

2CV conducted multi-method and iterative qualitative research with 30 young people across Great Britain to gain a rich insight into the lives of young people and their exposure to, and experiences of, gambling.

Fieldwork took place during the school summer holidays in 2024 and as the 2024 to 2025 Championship and Premier league seasons started – given that teenage boys’ exposure to gambling is heightened through their interest in football, it will be worth keeping the timing of the start of the football season in mind when reading the findings in this report.

The research included 3 key stages. All 30 young people took part in the first 2 stages and a smaller cohort of 10 young people took part in the third stage.

Stage 1. In-home gaming immersions with friendship groups

2CV conducted 6 face-to-face, 90-minute gaming immersions with friendship groups with 5 young people in each group. The gaming immersion was led by a 2CV researcher and took place in the home of the lead participant.

At the recruitment stage, the lead young person, and their parent or guardian, was given detailed and visually engaging information sheets to explain the aim of the research, what the research involved and what they needed to do in advance. As part of the recruitment stage, the lead young person, with parental or guardian support, was tasked with selecting 4 friends to bring along to the in-home session and the young person was provided with clear instructions to help them select friends. To create the most comfortable and engaging group dynamic, and ensure a good mix of ages, the lead young person was asked to invite friends in their school year (did not have to be the same school), ideally those who enjoyed, or at least had experience of, playing video games and, most importantly, friends who would feel comfortable speaking in a group setting and sharing their personal opinions.

After initial introductions, each in-home session began with a gaming activity, with the friendship group choosing the game they wished to play. This initial immersive gaming experience provided a unique window into gaming behaviours in action and how these could be an early pathway into gambling through the presence of gambling-like activities within gaming, like purchasing loot boxes and skins. It provided the ideal ice breaker into an open and honest conversation about gambling and different types of gambling activities. The friendship group approach to the session provided an ideal opportunity to explore peer relationships and discuss young peoples’ awareness of, and attitudes towards, gambling activities in a safe and familiar household setting. Young people were comfortable in the presence of their peers to open up about their lives and experiences.

Stage 2. Online journal with private response tasks

All 30 young people from the in-home gaming immersions were invited to complete a follow-up, online journal — accessible on phone, tablet and computer - and were given the option to respond with text, photo, audio and video over the course of 7 days. All tasks were private response tasks and were designed to encourage young people to share their honest opinions relating to gambling in a safe online setting. The interface of the journal app that was used took inspiration from social media apps and was therefore familiar and intuitive to young people.

There were 4 tasks in total which explored young people’s:

  1. Free time and entertainment.
  2. Key influences and inspirational figures.
  3. Exposure to gambling in daily life.
  4. Overall attitudes towards gambling.

The online journal provided an insight into the daily realities of young peoples’ lives and highlighted their exposure to gambling through a repeatable ‘gambling diary’ task. Crucially, the individual feedback enabled young people to share their experiences without potential fear of judgment from their peers.

Stage 3. ‘Story Spotlight’ one-to-one interviews

In the final stage of the research, 10 young people, across the different age groups, were selected to share their personal stories through one-to-one, 45-minute ‘Story Spotlight’ online interviews. The same 2CV researcher that they had met during their in-home immersion session led and moderated the interview to create safety and familiarity.

The interviews were participant-led with the researcher tailoring interviews based on individual feedback during the first 2 research stages. Key topics included discussing any recent experiences of gambling - either personal experiences or experiences of observing a friend or family member taking part in a gambling activity - their individual understanding of gambling and attitudes towards different gambling activities.

Finally, each young person was asked to explore youth adapted problem gambling statements and harms statements through online ‘cue cards’ that they could sort using Miro as the sorting platform. The statements were taken from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition - Multiple Response Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) and are asked on the annual Young People and Gambling Survey. This qualitative research was an opportunity to explore the statements with the ability to ask follow-up questions. The young people were asked to read each cue card carefully and tell the researcher where they felt the statement best fit across 3 categories: No experience; Understand but no experience; Have experienced. For each card, the 2CV researcher asked the young person why they had placed the card in 1 of the 3 categories and ensured that the young person was comfortable to continue with the activity given potential sensitivities.

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Qualitative research sample
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