Gambling Commission Finds Slight Decline in Young People Gambling

The percentage of 11-17 year-olds found to have gambled with their own money in Great Britain in the previous 12 months has dropped from 30% to 26%, data published by the Gambling Commission has showed.

According to the regulator’s 2026 Young People and Gambling report, just over one in four respondents from a total of 3,867 answered yes when asked if they had spent their own money on any gambling activity in the year prior. Participation was more common in non-age restricted gambling activities at 24% than in age-restricted gambling activities at 5%.

What the money was spent on

The most common form of gambling activity that respondents spent their money on was arcade gaming machines, such as penny pusher or claw grab machines, with close to one in five participating (19%). Just over one in 10 (11%) said they placed a bet for money between family and friends, while 5% played cards with friends or family for money.

There has been an overall trend of decline in 11-17 year-olds spending their own money on gambling since the 2022 survey, with the overall percentage going down from 31% four years ago, although there have been variations across the intervening years. In the 2026 survey, there was also a slight drop in those who may class as a problem gambler, with the percentage falling from 1.2% to 0.9%.

The survey assessed which respondents scored 4 or higher on the youth-adapted problem gambling screen, and therefore representing a young person experiencing problem gambling. A total of 2% scored 2 or 3, which represents a young person who is experiencing ‘at risk’ gambling, while 23.1% scored 0 or 1, representing a young person who does not experience any problems with their gambling.

High awareness of gambling advertising

A high number of respondents were exposed to gambling advertising, with almost nine in 10 (89%) young people recalling seeing or hearing gambling advertising or promotions in the last year. Respondents were most likely to report seeing gambling advertisements at least weekly on social media (55%), live streaming or video sharing platforms (53%), television (52%) and apps (51%).

While the UK has moved towards tighter regulation, particularly with regards to increased taxation and the terms of the 2023 Gambling White Paper, gambling advertising has broadly remained untouched. In 2019, operators who were part of the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling imposed a whistle-to-whistle ban on gambling adverts being shown during live sporting events prior to the 9pm watershed.

From the start of the current 2026/27 season, the English Premier League introduced a self-imposed ban on gambling operators sponsoring the front of its’ teams shirts. However, operators can still sponsor other parts of the shirt and training kits and can advertise their branding at stadiums. Operators can also sponsor the front of teams’ shirts in leagues outside the Premier League.

Taking all that into account, it is perhaps unsurprising that underage gamblers are still highly likely to see gambling advertising. The survey found boys were more likely than girls to report seeing gambling adverts across a range of platforms, including live streaming or video sharing platforms (57%, compared with 39%) and at sports events (61%, compared with 42%).

Information received

A majority of young people (81%) felt well informed about the risks associated with gambling, with just over two thirds (68%) reporting they had been spoken to about the potential problems gambling can lead to.