The Gambling Commission’s official statistics on Young People and Gambling in 2025 provides information about young people’s exposure to and involvement in gambling, as well as the impact gambling can have.
The findings are taken from the annual Young People and Gambling Survey, conducted in 2025 by Ipsos on behalf of the Gambling Commission. The study collected data from 3,666 pupils aged 11 to 17 years old across curriculum years 7 to 12 (S1 to S6 in Scotland) attending academies, maintained and independent schools in England, Scotland, and Wales using the Ipsos Young People Omnibus. Pupils completed an online self-report survey in class, fieldwork took place between January and June 2025.
Findings are compared with previous years of the survey to identify trends.
Key findings:
Three in ten (30 percent) 11 to 17 year olds had spent their own money on any gambling activity in the 12 months prior to completing the survey, with boys (34 percent) more likely than girls (27 percent). This represents an increase from 27 percent in 2024, which appears largely driven by a rise in unregulated gambling (18 percent in 2025, compared with 15 percent in 2024).
The most common types of gambling activity that young people spent their own money on were legal or did not feature age restricted products, namely:
- playing arcade gaming machines such as penny pusher or claw grab machines (21 percent)
- placing a bet for money between friends or family (14 percent)
- playing cards with friends or family for money (5 percent).
Around one quarter (23 percent) of young people spent their own money on regulated forms of gambling in the past 12 months, including playing arcade gaming machines which are legally accessible to young people. If we remove arcade gaming machines from the definition, then 6 percent of young people spent their own money on regulated forms of gambling which has remained stable compared to 2024.
The proportion of young people who scored 4 or more on the youth-adapted problem gambling screen (DSM-IV-MR-J) and therefore representing a young person experiencing problem gambling was 1.2 percent. 2.2 percent scored 2 or 3 representing a young person experiencing ‘at risk’ gambling, and 27 percent scored 0 or 1 representing a young person who does not experience any ‘problems’ with their gambling.
Young people are more likely to be exposed to gambling-related advertisements weekly online, rather than offline. Specifically, via social media (49 percent) or apps (47 percent). Boys were more likely than girls to see advertisements related to gambling across various platforms, including video sharing sites, such as YouTube (53 percent of boys, compared with 31 percent of girls) and at sports events (57 percent of boys, compared with 37 percent of girls).
The 2025 survey also explored the influence of social media personalities, finding that 31 percent of young people who saw gambling-related content on social media (16 percent of all respondents) reported that influencers had advertised gambling-related content to them.
The primary motivation for gambling among young people is that they find it ‘fun’, cited by 78 percent of those who have used their own money to gamble in the last 12 months.
Three in ten (29 percent) young people had seen family members they live with gamble. Of these, 7 percent indicated it had resulted in arguments or tension at home. However, 9 percent said that gambling by a family member had helped to pay for things at home for example holidays, trips or clubs.