Underage Gambling – Is it a Problem in the UK? What Are Players’ Rights and Protections?

Unlike the USA and other countries that have recently changed some of their laws and regulations, the UK has a long-engrained culture of gambling and there were some concerning revelations in the report.

Nearly one in every ten young people reported that a family member’s gambling had caused them problems at home. Some even said that the habit would make them lose sleep or miss school.

Over one in four young people aged 11 to 17 also said they were involved in gambling and had used their own money to place bets.

The facts should be tempered by saying that most of those who placed bets did so in informal settings such as among friends, or on legally permitted venues such as arcades where young people are allowed to be.

Perhaps more concerning is the significant increase in young people using family members’ accounts to place bets or play casino games.

Figures in 2023 showed that the proportion of young people with a gambling problem was around 0.7%, but this had more than doubled – now sitting at 1.5%. This is equivalent to 85,000 young people. The highest figures were in Scotland.

Iain Duncan Smith, Conservative MP, gave his opinions on the figures:

“We’ve been warning about this forever and it’s getting worse. The gambling firms are completely out of control and seem to be going after young people.”

“The government still seems undecided about what they’re going to do,” said Duncan Smith. “We just want them to get on with it and tighten up the white paper, which didn’t go far enough. This report shows they can’t sit back on it. If we don’t act now it’s going to get even worse.”

Duncan Smith co-chairs a cross-parliamentary group that is tasked with exploring gambling harm, and political posturing aside, there is a clear trend that may need to be addressed.

Football’s Impact on Youth Gambling

Around 6% of the young people surveyed said that they had gambled on licensed products including playing at online bookies that they are not allowed to access. This is down to adults such as siblings and even parents allowing children to use their accounts.

Football has come under constant scrutiny for the fact that gambling is so widely advertised. Gambling on football is worth billions every year to the bookmaking industry, and this has led to a lot of different advertisers in the industry. At times, we’ve seen around 1/3rd of all of the Premier League teams sponsored by gambling, and this is just as the main sponsor. Most clubs have some sort of official betting partner.

Young people tend to love football and when their favourite players are wearing kits with gambling logos on them, it is almost inevitable that they may show some interest in what the gambling companies offer.

Will Prochaska, who leads the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA), said this was “no surprise considering the ongoing barrage of gambling ads that every child in the UK is forced to see almost every day of their lives”.

Television in the UK is also coming under criticism. Gambling ads may be restricted to the evenings, but this is not a sure-fire way to avoid young people seeing them.

Protections and Next Steps

It is possible that we will need more protections for young people who are at risk. The Betting and Gaming Council in the UK has already made some steps, providing £10m in funding to support education, training, and support across England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

The programme will be delivered by YGAM and GamCare, the Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme and aims to educate people on the risks of gambling.

Family members can also use some of the tools put in place by gambling companies, including self-exclusion. Taxes and levies have also been suggested as a way to make money out of the gambling companies, ready to put into schemes and support for youth gambling and other forms of problem gambling. At a young age, education is deemed the most important factor towards fostering a healthier relationship with responsible gambling.

About the Data

Much of the data that is being discussed in the industry is from the 2024 Young People and Gambling Report. This data was gathered in schools. Pupils completed online self-completion surveys in class. The study collected data from a sample of 3,869 11 to 17 year olds between January and June 2024. The data is alarming, and while self-reported data from young people can be unreliable, the huge leaps in some of the figures suggest this dataset is an accurate representation and that gambling is a problem for young people.

Reacting to the report, a Labour spokesperson said: “We recognise the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and we are absolutely committed to strengthening protections for those at risk, including young people.

“Ministers are currently considering the best available evidence, including the Gambling Commission’s recent statistics, and the full range of gambling policy and will update in due course.”