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.
5 - Misunderstanding of gambling and associated risks
[On gambling] "I think it’s a bit like an alcohol addiction. You know, people are lonely, so they'll sit there and drink. Some people are lonely, so they'll sit there and gamble."
Female, 14 to 15 years old, London
Young people hold a binary view of gambling. While the term ‘gambling’ has the largely negatively associations "addictive" or a "waste of money", different types of gambling activities can be seen positively as a light-hearted and a "fun" activity to be enjoyed with friends or family.
This highlights the complexity around the gambling landscape and associated language, the blurred lines between what is seen to be both safe and legitimate forms of gambling activities (often under the supervision of parents) and what is seen to be risky, such as the accumulation of debt through online gambling. As noted in ‘Defining gambling through the eyes of young people’, this misunderstanding may be driven by young people’s limited knowledge types of gambling activities that exist and especially how they can exist in the online world.
Harmful gambling activities:
- betting - mainly betting at a betting shop or bookies, of betting on a betting website or app
- casinos.
Safe gambling activities (good and fun):
- arcade gaming machines - like penny pushers and claw grab machines
- betting with adult supervision - for example, helping a parent or grandparent choose a horse during horse racing events
- National Lottery with adult supervision - for example, asking a parent to buy a Scratchcard on their behalf and playing along during key seasonal moments like Christmas.
At its very basic level, there is a misunderstanding of what ‘gambling’ is as illustrated through the following quote:
"When you originally think of gambling, you think of big numbers, like a grand, 2 grand just putting into slot machines and that, while 2p machines, you didn't expect them to be gambling."
Male, 13 to 14 years old, Northwest England
This was common for most young people, who linked gambling to how much was being spent (and in their world the small stakes were often seen as harmless flutter), rather than playing games of chance for money.
In addition, there was a significant amount of ‘othering’ when it came to defining problem gambling. Young people found it easier to personify the ‘problem’ gambler as “old, white, single male”, “homeless” , “unemployed” someone with “no family” but struggled to go beyond these descriptions to imagine how someone more relatable to them could be experiencing the adverse consequences of gambling. Their strong, negative reaction to the term ‘gambling’ shows a clear association with potential adverse consequences, but uses descriptions as described in the following:
"Most of them would be homeless wouldn’t they, because they’ve all lost their money."
Male, 13 to 14 years old, Northwest England
"Typically, someone that maybe doesn’t have a job, or recently lost their job, like a midlife crisis?"
Female, 15 to 16 years old, Wales
To that extent, there is a limited understanding of the risks of gambling and how people may come to experience more harmful forms. While they associate the harmful end of gambling as ‘addictive’ there is little knowledge beyond “risky”, a “waste of money” and “putting money at risk”. Furthermore, the gambling activities and behaviours that may be markers of risk and harm are less understood.
"I think people can become addicted to that and think oh if I can win £30 in the lottery then, you know, I might go to the gambling machines then and that leads to a bigger addiction."
Female, 15 to 16 years old, Wales
"If you aren’t careful enough, I think maybe you get addicted to the thrill of it."
Female, 15 to 16 years old, Wales
The following example shows how a young person compares what could be a temporary 'addiction' on Grand Theft Auto to an implied bigger gambling 'addiction' which has the potential to damage someone’s entire life and lifestyle forever. This shows how young people are mindful of the risks and the severity of problem gambling but lack a complete understanding of how this might unfold in someone’s life.
"If someone gets too addicted to gambling on Grand Theft Auto, you can just uninstall it. But you can't uninstall your whole life."
Male, 13 to 14 years old, Northwest England
Some young people in the spotlight sessions (one-to-one interviews) shared that gambling is negatively impacting some of their friends - leading to a perpetual cycle of happiness and immediate gratification when they win but lower mood when they lose. An example was also shared of a close teenage friend being more likely to play when “feeling down” or “lonely”.
As a result, gambling and its associated risks and harms can mean different things for different young people, coupled with how diverse an individual’s exposure can be. This can further complicate the gambling landscape for young people, particularly the blurred lines between gaming and gambling which many are frequently engaged in.
Previous sectionHeightened risks of exposure and potential harm for teenage boys
Last updated: 25 February 2025
Show updates to this content
No changes to show.