Problem gambling rates among young people reach record levels

Problem gambling rates among young people in the UK have more than tripled in 2022, according to the latest data from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

Releasing its data set for the year up to September 2022, the regulator divulged the shocking statistic that problem gambling rates among 16 to 24-year-olds have skyrocketed since 2021.

The problem gambling rate among this demographic now sits at 1.4%, a huge increase from 0.4% in 2021 and more than four times higher than the national average of 0.3%.

The figure of 1.4% is the highest ever on record and a worrying trend for the industry.

Operators have made strides to improve responsible and safer gambling strategies in recent months, with the likes of Flutter implementing a £500 deposit limit for under-25s in the UK.

With the release of the white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review still undetermined, the industry and consumers remain in a state of limbo.

The arrival of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister could bring about yet another cabinet reshuffle and a new head of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to replace Michelle Donelan, in what would be another blow to the release date of the document.

Elsewhere, online gambling participation rates have risen to the highest recorded. In the year up to and including September 2022, 27% of respondents had participated in one form of online gambling in the past four weeks.

The figure represents an incremental rise in participation since 2018, when just 18.4% were using an online gambling product.

Lottery continues to be the most popular product, with 16.1% of customers participating in online National Lottery draws.

The frequency of customers betting and gambling has also risen year on year.

The percentage of those gambling more than twice a week increased from 20.4% to 22%, along with a rise in once-a-week gambling from 28.4% to 30%.

Additionally, the frequency of betting increased, rising from 22.2% to 29.6% for more than twice a week.

Nuno Albuquerque, UK Addiction Treatment Group consultant treatment lead, said the longer the industry and consumers continue to wait for the white paper, the worse the situation will become.

Albuquerque said: “Online gambling is on the rise yet again and we’re still waiting for the government’s Gambling Act 2005 reform white paper – the situation is becoming dangerous.

“Yes, there has been political turmoil, but we really need to see the outcomes to this long-awaited reform so that we can better protect those who gamble.”

Clean Up Gambling’s Matt Zarb-Cousin remarked: “Young people are more vulnerable to addiction given the brain is not fully developed until age 25. The more gambling is advertised around football, the more young gamblers there will be. And while regulation of online gambling remains informed by analogue legislation, the harms will only increase.”

A Betting and Gaming Council spokesperson said: “BGC members take a zero tolerance approach to betting by children.  The most popular forms of betting by children are playing cards, scratchcards, bets between friends and fruit machines – not with BGC members.

“In 2021, we introduced new rules aimed at ensuring that children cannot view gambling ads on football clubs’ official social media accounts. Our members also introduced new age gating rules on advertising on social platforms, restricting the ads to those aged 25 and over for most sites.

“We are encouraged by the latest figures from the Gambling Commission which shows the rate of problem gambling among adults in the UK remains low by international standards at 0.3%, down from 0.4% the previous year,” the spokesperson added.