A quarter of the children included in a GambleAware survey said they had been tempted to spend money on gambling after viewing celebrity gambling ads.
GambleAware has called for urgent action after a new study found children and young people in Great Britain are being exposed to gambling content at “unprecedented levels”.
The study, which was compiled by Social Finance and Sherbert Research, was released by GambleAware on Tuesday. Research was recorded from two surveys.
One recorded data from 634 youngsters across a number of schools based in the South West, South East and West Midlands. The second survey recorded results from 2,100 11-17 year olds. GambleAware said this report “was nationally representative of this demographic across GB”.
A quarter of the children included in the second survey said they had been tempted to spend money on gambling after viewing such advertising, while 36% of boys aged between 16 and 17 recalled they had already gambled after observing a celebrity either promoting or taking part in gambling.
Over half of the second survey’s respondents said they felt they had no control over the amount of gambling content they viewed online, while 78% of children agreed “nobody under the age of 18 should be exposed to content and advertising about gambling”.
Meanwhile the initial research found 87% of children and young people surveyed had been exposed to gambling content online, with 16% viewing gambling advertising from content creators on platforms such as Twitch, TikTok and YouTube.
Majority of children want celebrity gambling ads banned
Around 67% of respondents to the larger survey agreed famous individuals, celebrities and influencers should be banned from promoting gambling.
Some 16% had observed content creators sharing links and sign-up codes for gambling, while 14% reported seeing creators sharing tips on how to gamble.
GambleAware believes the government should look to further restrict gambling advertising and online content in the short term, while wider regulations are put in place.
“Digital technology has transformed how children and young people consume content, with mobile phone ownership widespread and many spending hours daily on social media,” GambleAware CEO Zoe Osmond added.
“Social media platforms and influencers now play a pivotal role in shaping attitudes and behaviours and this research shows that some are playing a part in encouraging young people to gamble.”
GambleAware appoints transition CEO to oversee closure
In response to the survey’s findings, GambleAware called upon regulators, the government and the Advertising Standards Authority to take urgent action and “catch up with the digital age”.
“It is unacceptable that children’s environments continue to be flooded with age-restricted content,” Osmond said.
“Consistent exposure to influencer-driven gambling content contributes to the normalisation of gambling among school-aged children and we know that early exposure to gambling at a younger age can lead young people to have a higher risk of experiencing gambling harm later in life.”
Osmond is in her final month as GambleAware CEO, with the charity last week announcing the appointment of Anna Hargrave from 30 September as transition CEO to oversee its closure.
In July, GambleAware confirmed it will wind down operations and transfer its responsibilities to the British government by March 2026. The move comes after the introduction of a new statutory levy earlier this year.
From that point, all services previously overseen by the charity will be taken on by the government and newly appointed commissioners in England, Scotland and Wales, reflecting the UK’s renewed strategy for addressing gambling harm.