27% of UK Children Spend Money on Gambling

The UK Gambling Commission has published its latest report revealing 27% of 11-17 year-olds spend their own money on gambling.

Research for the 2024 Young People and Gambling Report was carried out via online surveys in schools with 3,869 children providing feedback.

Study Highlights

• 27% of 11-17 year-olds spent their own money on gambling in past 12 months
• 21% spent their own money on regulated forms of gambling
• 80% of those who spent money on gambling did it for fun
• 26% said that gambling makes them feel happy, up from 17% in 2023
• 15% spent their own money on unregulated forms of gambling
• 1.5% of young people in 2023 experience gambling problems, up from 0.7%
• 8% said that gambling caused tension in the home
• 12% said that gambling by a family member had paid for things at home

Gambling Exposure

• 64% of young people had seen gambling ads online, up from 53% in 2023
• 62% of young people had seen gambling ads offline, up from 55% in 2023
• 54% saw gambling ads on TV
• 52% saw gambling ads online
• 26% of young people saw a family member gamble

Most Popular Forms of Gambling

• Arcade gaming machines – 20% of all gambling spend
• Bets between friends and family – 11%
• Playing cards with friends or family – 5%

The latest Gambling Commission guidelines for land-based gambling operators request that all patrons who look under the age of 25 must provide proof of identity and age. This is now a mandatory requirement from August 30th 2024.

Tim Miller, Commission Executive Director for research and policy, said:

“Today’s report gives us important insights into the relationship between young people and gambling.

Where it relates to regulated forms of gambling we use the data to continuously keep under review and, where needed, strengthen the suite of protections for young people that we require gambling companies to have in place.

However, the report also shows that young people often gamble in ways that do not require regulation, such as betting with their friends. Yet these forms of gambling can also lead to some experiencing harm. Our report points to the opportunities that parents, schools and other groups have to also help reduce gambling harm among children and young people.”

For further details on gambling participation among adults, revenues, and problem gambling figures, check our UK Gambling Statistics page.

Natasha Lyndon

Based in London, Natasha is a former sports journalist with experience working for some of the biggest athletes & brands in the world of sports and iGaming.