A study on youth gambling participation by the British Institute of Licensing (IoL) has revealed the number of children aged 11 to 16 and 17-year-old teenagers who spent money on slot machines and other forms of gambling.
All respondents attend academies or private schools in Great Britain, Scotland, and Wales. Of those surveyed, 26% spent their own money on various types of gambling in the past year, up from 31% in 2022. Excluding slot machines, 4% of study participants spent funds on regulated gambling activities with age restrictions, while 1.5% of respondents were identified as at-risk players — those who may develop a dependency if they do not limit their gambling activities.
More than half — 55% of the surveyed — have seen offline gambling advertisements, and another 53% have seen them on websites or smartphone apps, the institute noted.
According to IoL data, 19% of minors used arcade slot machines, such as toy claw catchers, 11% placed bets among family and friends, and another 5% played card games for money.
