The UK Gambling Commission has revealed that the number of young people who spent their own money on some form of gambling in the past 12 months has decreased.
The regulator’s 2023 Young People and Gambling Report said 26 per cent of respondents spent money on some form of gambling, down from 31 per cent in 2022.
Excluding arcade machines, which are legal for young people, four per cent of respondents spent money on regulated, age-restricted gambling products – down from five per cent in 2022.
The research was collated using online self-completion surveys completed by 3,453 11 to 16 year olds as well as 17-year-olds for the first time.
The report added that 0.7 per cent of respondents were identified as problem gamblers compared with 0.9 per cent in 2022, with 1.5 per cent of those who responded identified as at-risk gamblers – also down from 2.4 per cent in 2022.
Furthermore, 55 per cent of respondents had seen gambling adverts offline, down from 66 per cent in 2022, while 53 per cent had seen adverts online, decreasing from 63 per cent in 2022.
“Protecting children and young people from harm remains a priority for the Commission and it is working hard to implement relevant proposals by hovernment in its Gambling Act Review White Paper,” the Gambling Commission said.
