Growing evidence from newly published national data shows that gambling safeguards for children and young people in Great Britain remain insufficient, despite years of regulatory commitments and public health warnings.

GambleAware’s Gambling Harms and Young People in Great Britain: A State of the Nation Report acknowledges that official Gambling Commission (UKGC) figures indicate 30% of 11- to 17-year-olds spent their own money on gambling in the past year.

This marked a 3% rise from 2024, which the regulator noted coincides with growing participation in unregulated markets, which climbed from 15% to 18% over the same period.

Instead of reducing harm, industry observers argue regulatory restrictions could be diverting more young people toward offshore operators where oversight is weaker.

These findings also expose contradictions in the regulator’s own approach. Although the UKGC has repeatedly acknowledged shortcomings in its research methods, it continues to rely on data that consistently shows escalating online exposure to gambling among minors.

In 2025, 31% of young people reported seeing gambling promotions from influencers, reinforcing the shift toward digital environments where advertising rules are limited or harder to enforce.

This presents a policy challenge, as attempts to tighten rules in the regulated sector could be accelerating the migration to platforms beyond the reach of UK law.

Additional findings from the GambleAware report underscore the scale of this shift.

Children are increasingly encountering gambling-like content inside games, apps, and social media feeds, with a third of 11- to 17-year-olds saying they most often see gambling adverts on phones or tablets rather than on traditional media channels.

As regulated operators face stricter compliance demands, offshore markets continue to grow by exploiting environments where age checks, disclosure rules, and advertising safeguards remain inadequate.

 

Evidence base remains thin

The report also acknowledges major limitations in the available evidence. Its conclusions rely heavily on GambleAware-funded studies produced between 2020 and 2025, supplemented only by select external research.

Because the themes are shaped by the funder’s priorities, the findings do not represent the full academic or policy landscape, especially as the sector evolves rapidly.

The synthesis uses an informal evidence mapping approach rather than a structured review method, further narrowing confidence in its comprehensiveness.

Researchers themselves point to persistent methodological weaknesses across the field.

Many studies use small or non-representative samples, rely on self-reported harms, or adapt adult-focused tools such as the problem gambling severity index (PGSI) that may not accurately measure harm among children and young people.

Consequently, even this latest research is likely incomplete and may not reflect the true scale of risk.

Notably, there is still no robust longitudinal data tracking how gambling behaviours develop over time, despite GambleAware being established in 2002 and the UKGC in 2007.

The absence of such long-term monitoring indicates a systemic failure to build the evidence base needed for effective intervention.

These research gaps mirror broader regulatory shortcomings. Young adults who do gamble continue to face disproportionate harm, with data suggesting 19% meet the threshold for problem gambling; more than double the rate in the wider adult population.

Without stronger digital oversight, improved data quality, and sustained longitudinal research, the system could risk exacerbating harms, rather than alleviating them.

 

 

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