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.
Summary of findings
The gambling landscape is notoriously complex, evolving rapidly in response to shifting regulations, technology and market dynamics, making it challenging even for adults to navigate. This complexity is mirrored in the findings of this research, where young people experienced a blurring of boundaries due to their limited ability to recognise some activities as gambling, to distinguish between legal and illegal gambling activities or fully understand the impact and consequences of gambling behaviours. In an online environment that is largely unfiltered and unsupervised, young people are regularly exposed to gambling without fully grasping its proximity to their daily lives or its potential impact over time. This research expands on our existing understanding, in particular across 5 factors that exemplify the experiences of young people and gambling in Great Britain today:
1. The sphere of influence has expanded (who)
The sphere of influence for 11 to 17 year olds now extends well beyond close family and peers, encompassing celebrities, online influencers, and sports figures, particularly footballers. These figures significantly shape young people's perceptions of the world, including attitudes toward gambling. Formal partnerships and endorsements between celebrities, sports professionals, and gambling organisations increase the likelihood of young people being exposed to gambling-related content.
2. Exposure to gambling is predominantly in the online world (where)
The widespread ownership and use of personal technology (smartphones, tablets, laptops, and gaming consoles) among young people, combined with unsupervised access to social media, has amplified their exposure to gambling. This research highlights how young people encounter gambling advertisements on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. In addition, advertisements and sponsorships seen on mainstream TV channels, as well as through sporting apps (where young people can follow live results) are subtle forms of everyday ‘always on’ exposure. At its most unfiltered and unsupervised level is exposure to online content creators who are showing young people how to gamble and sharing outcomes of high-stake games.
3. The changing spaces of gambling reduces supervision
Not all exposure to gambling is detrimental to young people. Early introductions to gambling can provide ‘safe' opportunities to learn about gambling style activities within family environments - for example teaching young people about setting spending and time limits, managing money, experiencing winning and losing. However, as children get older and the sphere of influence broadens (particularly online), there is a shift in the nature of exposure, and a reduction in opportunities to learn about gambling in safe, supervised environments. Examples of this can be seen in the video gaming space, where young people are exposed to gambling type activities for example casino spaces in Grand Theft Auto. Parental supervision may well focus on violent or inappropriate content, time spent online or who their children are playing with rather than exposure to gambling type activities.
4. Teenage boys are at heightened risk of exposure and potential harm
While gaming is popular across genders, boys often engage more intensely in video gaming. This intensifies the overlap between gaming, gambling and gambling like features, especially with in-game purchases. Higher disposable incomes at this age, combined with limited financial literacy, may lead to a heightened risk of gambling-related issues. In addition, young boys with a keen interest and passion in sports, particularly football, have heightened exposure and see a normalisation of gambling because of the links between football clubs, betting apps and sponsorship by gambling organisations.
5. The misunderstanding of gambling risks leaves children and young people vulnerable to potential future harm
Many young people have a misunderstanding of gambling, often associating it with negative connotations but lacking nuanced awareness and knowledge of its risks and complexities. Young people find it easier to personify the ‘problem gambler’ - often using blunt descriptors such as lonely, old, male. They find it much harder to describe risks or problem gambling behaviours, particularly within the context of their lives. In addition, very few have an understanding of the impact of problem gambling to the individual (such as anxiety, depression, stress) and those affected by problem gambling.
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Last updated: 25 February 2025
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