The UK Gambling Commission recently issued a report stating about 450,000 children age 11-15 gamble every week. The report, which indicated more boys than girls gamble, said an estimated 9,000 of those interviewed could become problem gamblers, although 60 percent agreed gambling is dangerous. The study polled 2,411 children from 103 state secondary schools in England a Wales.
The UKGC said the child-gambling rate has remained about the same, whereas smoking, drinking alcohol and drug use have declined.
Most often, parents or guardians purchase scratch cards and National Lottery tickets for the child. However, children also gamble in commercial areas such as betting shops, bingo halls and arcades. About 3 per cent spent their own money to gamble online. In addition, the report showed children have used their parents’ accounts to gamble, including 6 percent who have done that with or without parental permission.
Children said the main reasons they gambled the first time were “to make money,” “it would be fun and entertaining” and they thought “it would be exciting.”
Gambling Commission Executive Director Tim Miller said, “We’re often reminded to discuss the risks of drinking, drugs and smoking with our children. However our research shows that children are twice as likely to gamble than do any of those things. We want to reassure parents that our rules require gambling businesses to prevent and tackle underage gambling and we take firm action where young people are not properly protected.”
Of those surveyed, 75 percent said they saw gambling advertisements on TV, 63 percent on social media and 57 percent on other websites. Nearly one in 10 children said they followed gambling companies online on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
In addition, the report said 73 per cent of children gamble online through apps, up from 64 per cent last year. The second preferred method of play was social networking sites, with 25 per cent of children gambling through Facebook.
Miller noted, “We recognize that there are some gambling activities in which young people are legally permitted to partake, such as using a crane machine to win a toy, or betting between friends. But we would encourage parents to speak to their children about the risks associated with gambling, so that if they choose to gamble in adulthood, they will do so in a safe and responsible way.”
Catherine Sweet, of the problem gambling prevention and treatment organization GamCare, said, “The foundation of our new strategy to work with young people is our youth outreach program, including the creation of regional youth hubs to provide free-of-charge workshops directly to young people, as well as training for professionals working with young people in the local area.” Sweet said the youth hubs will provide materials and screening tools to help local youth services and teachers identify young people at risk, and also provide referrals to special treatment.
