Young People and Gambling Harm

Even though gambling is 18+, it still affects young people—especially now that it’s super easy to access online, making it harder to keep track of spending. The industry makes billions by using tricks to keep people hooked. So, why should you care? Let’s break it down.

At 16 I was given a lottery ticket and a scratchcard for my birthday. After that I wanted to buy one whenever I had the money…

Despite the age restriction of 18, gambling still affects young people in many different ways.

Gambling is risking money or something of material value on an uncertain outcome in the hopes of winning additional money or a prize.

In the past, you used to have to go in-person to gambling premises like the bookmakers or a casino. Now, gambling is moving more and more online. This makes gambling more harmful as you may find it hard to track your spending and it is now available 24/7.

The gambling industry is a profitable business and has an annual revenue of approximately £15.1 billion. This is double the amount of the UK music industry. Part of the reason why gambling companies generate so much revenue is because they’re really good at tricking and enticing people like yourself to continue gambling.

They use different techniques to do this:

Another common trick that is used by the gambling industry is small losses and big wins. This concept is similar to microtransactions in video games.

For example, every time Alex goes to the shops, they buy a £2 scratch card. Alex has been doing this for several months and has spent around £200. Eventually, Alex buys a £2 scratch and wins £30. They feel like they won £28, but they really lost £170.

This is because small losses are easily forgotten, and big wins are more memorable and encourage people to spend more money.

Have you seen a gambling advert recently? The gambling industry is not legally allowed to target young people yet still uses strategies such as featuring celebrities in advertisements and putting adverts on social media that are more likely to be used by young people (e.g., BeReal). Almost 1 in 7 young people have seen a gambling advert (69%).

If someone under 18 does choose to gamble, despite the age restriction of 18, online gambling companies will initially vet players with a checkbox asking players if they are above the age restriction. It is not until a player wins that a legal ID check is required. This means many gambling companies will gladly take young people’s money but will not so gladly pay them out.

A common misbelief about gambling is that it only affects the person doing the gambling. This is not true. While young people can be impacted by their own gambling, they can also be affected by someone else’ gambling. For each person who experiences harmful gambling it’s estimated that 6 others are impacted.

Another common misbelief is that the worst thing that can happen when gambling is losing money. In reality, gambling is associated with a number of different harms related to our resources, relationships, and health.

Tips for reducing gambling harm

At the end of the day, if you are worried about your gambling or someone else’s gambling, reach out. Someone cares about you, and no harm is too big that help cannot be given: