The UK Gambling Commission is releasing new figures on problem gambling among youth that finds that more than 55,000 youth aged 11 to 16 have a gambling problem.
The commission’s audit also found that 70,000 youth are also at risk for gambling problems and that 450,000 children bet regularly, or about one seventh of Britain’s 11 to 16 year olds.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the audit found youth were betting an average of £16 a week on fruit machines, bingo, betting shops and online games. The games all carry an 18-year-old age restriction.
The Church of England called the findings “deeply concerning.” The bishop of St Albans, Alan Smith, said the findings a “generational scandal”.
“Today’s findings by the gambling commission make worrying reading and serve as a warning to parents,” he said in a press statement. “After years of progress, it seems the rates of children gambling are creeping back up. These figures suggest 450,000 11- to 16-year-olds have gambled in the past week. That is deeply concerning. We need to start taking the dangers of gambling seriously.”
The audit found that children see large amounts of gambling advertisements and that another about one million young people said they had been exposed to gambling through “loot boxes” in video games or on smartphone apps. Loot boxes contain unknown game rewards and are often bought, exchanged and even gambled.
Smith said the government, local authorities, schools and charities needed to put in place more safeguards to protect children from becoming problem gamblers.
