Young people are more prone to gambling for alarming motives than their older counterparts, according to the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain.
Over 5,000 adults were surveyed from 22 September 2025 to 18 January 2026, as part of the Commission’s quarterly updates on gambling participation.
The survey, released on 10 June, indicates that those aged 18 to 34 are more susceptible to unhealthy psychological behaviours linked to betting.
The main reasons participants reported gambling were “for the chance of winning big money”, “because it’s fun” or “because it’s exciting”.
But those surveyed, especially younger contributors, also chose concerning motives.
For instance, one in five 18 to 24 year olds gamble to alleviate stress, saying that “it helps when I’m feeling tense”, and this was one in seven for 25 to 34 year olds.
In contrast, on average, only one in eight participants said that they bet for this reason.
Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE, the National Adviser on Gambling Harms, noted that young people were disproportionately vulnerable.
She said: “Young people are not the only ones at risk of harm from gambling, but their decision-making abilities are often still developing while at university, and the inability to postpone gratification as effectively as older people does place more risk on any transactional decision a young person will make.”
Linked to stress, almost a quarter of those in the 18 to 24 and the 25 to 34 age groups said that they gambled because they worried about not winning if they did not play.
This anxiety-based win chasing was a motivation for just one in ten of those aged 75 or older.
Many young people reported gambling “to escape boredom or to fill my time”. This was 27% for 18 to 24 year olds and 28% for 25 to 34 year olds, dropping to just 9% of those aged 75 or older.
People gambling due to boredom is concerning because it could lead to addiction, chasing losses and excessive spending.
“Over the past two decades, the UK has normalised gambling and has made it almost impossible for young people to be protected from gambling adverts, and from gambling incentives via social media and sport,” said Bowden-Jones.
“It is a shocking political failure of the last twenty years and one that must be addressed now.”
The most popular reason for betting was “for the chance of making big money”, with 84% of participants selecting this option.
But gambling as a source of income is highly precarious and can lead to severe debt.
“Gambling leads inevitably to financial losses,” said Bowden-Jones. “Young people are vulnerable to the predatory messaging, leading them to think that they will make money, and over the last two decades I have witnessed endless cases of young people feeling suicidal after gambling losses, dropping out of university and losing their jobs all because of gambling harms.”
The survey also asked participants to say how they felt towards gambling, from 0 (“hated it”) to 10 (“loved it”).
Although not divided by age group, it showed that many participants have a negative personal experience of betting.
The largest proportion gave it five out of ten, indicating an ambivalent attitude towards gambling.
However, 23% gave it a negative score (from 0 to 4), with 6% voting 0.
While this is a minority, the Commission reported that 48% of the population took part in any form of gambling activity during the period surveyed.
As such, approximately 7.5 million people in the UK appear to have a negative opinion of their own betting.
A spokesperson for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, said: “We are absolutely committed to ensuring that children and the most vulnerable are protected from the risks of gambling related harm.
“Since the election, we have introduced new rules on gambling advertising, including sponsorship Codes of Conduct within all major sports, the Premier League’s ban on front-of-shirt sponsorship, and a ban on mixed promotional offers. These measures will reduce the prominence of gambling advertising, and lower the risk of gambling advertising encouraging excessive or harmful gambling.
“We recently announced our intention to consult on banning sports sponsorship by unlicensed gambling operators, and will continue to monitor the evidence and act where appropriate.”
Ultimately, gambling addiction can lead to significant financial issues, mental health problems and even suicide.
Its omnipresence in society, particularly in sport, means that too often young people become the victims of the industry.
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Featured image credit: Michal Parzuchowksi via Unsplash
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