The proportion of young people in the UK with a gambling problem has more than doubled, according to “shocking” official figures, prompting calls for urgent government intervention.
Latest figures from the Gambling Commission, which regulates bookmakers, online casinos and the national lottery, show the number of children classified as having a gambling problem based on widely used diagnostic criteria has surged to 85,000.
Nearly one in 10 people say a family member’s gambling has caused problems at home, while a growing number say their own gambling habits have caused them to lose sleep, skip school or miss homework.
About a quarter (26%) of young people aged 11 to 17 say they have gambled with their own money in the past year.
Most people place their bets either at legally permitted events such as seaside arcades, or in informal settings such as between friends. But the investigation found a “significant increase” in the number of young people gambling at licensed bookmakers or placing bets online, often using family members’ accounts, since 2023.
The data found that overall, the proportion of young people in the UK with a gambling problem has more than doubled from 0.7% to 1.5% in 2023, equivalent to around 85,000 children. This rises to 1.7% among boys, 1.9% among all 14-17-year-olds, and as high as 3% among young people living in Scotland.
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith MP said the figures were “shocking” and called on Labor to stop stalling on regulatory reform.
“We’ve been warning about this and it’s getting worse. Gambling companies are completely out of control and seem to be going after young people,” he said.
Duncan Smith, co-chair of the cross-parliamentary group investigating the harms of gambling, called on Labor to reinstate and strengthen the previous government’s gambling regulation white paper published last year. The white paper was criticized for failing to address gambling advertising and has been shelved since the election.
“The government still seems to have decided what to do,” Duncan Smith said.
“We just want them to keep working hard and tighten up the white paper, but that’s not enough. This report shows they can’t sit back and do nothing. If we don’t act now, things are going to get worse.
Labor has previously come under scrutiny for its many personal and financial ties to the gambling industry, but has so far been tight-lipped about plans to reform regulation and taxation of the industry, which earns £11bn a year from British punters. Chancellor Rachel Reeves considered but ultimately rejected proposals to increase taxes on the industry to help plug a £22bn fiscal “black hole”.
The Gambling Commission’s report is based on the internationally recognized DSM-IV method, asking children questions such as whether they gamble to escape a problem or spend more money than they want to. The study found an increase in people blaming gambling for staying up late or missing school. Nearly one in 10 (9%) said there had been “arguments or tensions” at home because of a family member’s gambling.
About 6% said they gambled on licensed products such as online bookmakers that they were not legally allowed to access, up from 4% in 2023. Accounts, especially boys betting on football.
Will Prochaska, director of the Coalition to End Gambling Advertising (CEGA), said: “This is not surprising given the constant barrage of gambling ads that every child in the UK is forced to see almost every day.”
A spokesman for industry lobby group the Gambling Commission said its members had a “zero tolerance” approach to children’s gambling. The BGC said most children who gamble do so with friends or on legally permitted gaming machines, adding that unlike illegal gambling sites, it has strict age verification checks in place.
A government spokesman said: “We recognize the impact that harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and we are absolutely committed to strengthening protections for those at highest risk, including young people.”
“Ministers are currently considering the best available evidence, including the latest statistics from the Gambling Commission, as well as the comprehensive gambling policy, and will update it in due course.”
