Close to Half of 11-17 Year-Olds Found to Experience Gambling in the UK

Almost half of 11-17 year-olds surveyed in the UK were found to have gambled in the previous 12 months, according to a report published by British regulator the Gambling Commission.

The Commission’s Young People and Gambling 2025 report showed 49% of 3,666 respondents who were aged between 11 and 17 had had some experience of gambling in the year prior. A total of 30% of respondents had taken part in active gambling involvement in that time period.

Arcade gaming activity common

It should be noted the vast majority of this gambling activity was not via the usual methods of betting with an online casino or bookmaker. The format of gambling which scored highest for gambling activity was arcade gaming machines (AGMs); arcades are a venue type where it is common for children and teenagers to attend. From the respondent base, 35% had experience of gambling at AGMs and 21% had active involvement with AGMs.

The next most common form of gambling was betting for money between friends and family (19% for experience of gambling and 14% for active involvement), followed by playing bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club (10% and 2%), and playing cards for money (9% and 5%).

The next three categories however would indicate a lack of age verification standards from operators. From the cohort, 7% experienced National Lottery scratchcards, with 1% having involvement with them.

There were also instances of underage gamblers experiencing and playing on fruit machines (7% and 4%), while 3% had experience of a betting website or app. The same percentage of respondents had experience of betting at a betting shop and on casino games online, while 2% experienced bingo online.

Slight changes from 2024

The Young People and Gambling report is published annually by the Commission, but this is the first time it has published specific data regarding exact gambling activity and involvement. However, where the Commission could make a year-on-year comparison was in the field of 11-17 year-olds gambling with their own money; 30% of respondents reported doing this in the past 12 months, up from 27% in 2024.

The Commission could also make a comparison when it comes to problem gambling. The proportion of respondents who reported having problems with their gambling activity was 1.2%, which was down slightly from 1.5% last year.

The data showed 29% of respondents had experience with unregulated gambling, while 18% were actively involved with unregulated gambling. In the 2024 report, 15% of respondents said they had gambled their own money on unregulated gambling.

New rules implemented

On the back of the Government’s Gambling Act Review White Paper, the Commission introduced new rules in 2024 requiring all land-based gambling licensees, including smaller licensees, to carry out age verification test purchasing. Operator staff must check the age of any customer who appears to be under 25 years of age, rather than under 21 years of age.

Tim Miller, Executive Director of Research and Policy, said:

“The research shows that it is not children being encouraged or allowed to gamble underage driving this increase [in children gambling with their own money] – it is the increased participation in gambling that is either legal or does not require regulation, such as private betting between friends.

“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.”

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