A University of Salford professor has called for society to remain vigilant over under-age gambling.

Despite the number of under-age gamblers falling in the UK, Professor David Forrest of the Centre for the Study of Gambling said society has to be “alert to problem gambling among children.”

Research carried out by the university on behalf of the National Lottery Commission revealed that children at affluent schools were more likely to gamble than those at schools with more deprived student populations, while children without siblings at home and those whose parents gamble were also found to be at risk.

“The identification of risk factors for problem gambling will help people working with children to assess how likely a child is to become a problem gambler,” Professor Forrest said. “The research can also be used by policymakers to address child gambling and to target gambling education at groups of children who are at the highest risk.”