Gambling Awareness for Teenagers and Parents: Recognising Risks Before They Become Problems

Gambling Among Young People: A Broader Problem Than Most Realise

When most people think about gambling, they picture adults in casinos or betting shops. But gambling among teenagers is a significant and growing issue. Research conducted in multiple countries has found that a substantial proportion of young people have gambled, and that problem gambling affects teenagers at rates comparable to or exceeding those in adult populations.

A UK Gambling Commission survey found that 39 percent of 11 to 16 year-olds had gambled in the previous week when scratch cards and private betting were included. In Australia, the Australian Institute of Family Studies found that 25 percent of young people had gambled by age 18. In the United States, surveys have found that the majority of adolescents have gambled at least once. Rates vary by country, methodology, and how gambling is defined, but the consistent finding is that teenage gambling is far more widespread than adult society typically acknowledges.

The rise of online gambling and the gambling-like mechanics embedded in mainstream video games have broadened young people's exposure to gambling significantly over the past decade.

Types of Gambling Young People Encounter

Traditional gambling: Scratch cards and lottery tickets are accessible and normalised in many countries, and are often the gateway to gambling for young people. Despite legal minimum ages, enforcement varies widely and many young people purchase these with ease. Sports betting, card games played for money among peers, and fruit machines or arcade games with prize elements are also common.

Online gambling: Online betting platforms technically require users to be 18 (or the local legal minimum age), but many young people access these through borrowed credentials, falsified ages, or platforms with inadequate verification. The accessibility of smartphones means that online gambling can happen anywhere, at any time, without the social visibility of entering a physical betting shop.

Esports and sports betting: Betting on esports outcomes and on traditional sports events is increasingly popular among older teenagers, particularly those who follow gaming or sport closely and feel they have knowledge that gives them an edge.

Social casino games: Apps that simulate casino games (slots, poker, roulette) using virtual currency are legal for all ages in most countries and normalise gambling mechanics without money changing hands. Research suggests that social casino game use is associated with higher rates of later real-money gambling.

Loot boxes and in-game gambling mechanics: As covered elsewhere, loot boxes in video games share structural features with gambling and have been found to be associated with problem gambling risk factors. The distinction between in-game spending and gambling is blurred for many young people who grow up spending money on randomised game rewards.

Peer betting: Informal betting among peers, on card games, sports predictions, or video game outcomes, is common and often not thought of as gambling. It carries the same psychological risks as formal gambling.

Why Young People Are Particularly Vulnerable

Several factors make teenagers more vulnerable to developing problematic gambling patterns than adults:

Neurological development: The adolescent brain's reward system is more sensitive and impulsive, and the prefrontal cortex that regulates restraint and consequence-weighing is still developing. This biological reality makes teenagers more susceptible to the immediate appeal of gambling rewards and less effective at weighing long-term risks.

Normalisation through media: Gambling advertising is ubiquitous in many countries, particularly around sports broadcasts. Young people who grow up watching their favourite sports with betting sponsors and advertisements develop normalised associations between gambling and entertainment.

The illusion of skill: Many young gamblers, particularly those who gamble on sports, gaming, or cards, believe that their knowledge gives them an edge. Understanding statistics and probability is not intuitive, and the belief that skill can overcome chance is one of the most persistent cognitive distortions sustaining gambling behaviour.

Social reinforcement: In some peer groups, gambling is a social activity associated with sophistication, risk-taking, and belonging. Social reinforcement of gambling is a significant driver of initiation and continuation.

Escape: Like many potentially addictive behaviours, gambling can serve as an escape from stress, difficult emotions, or challenging circumstances. The short-term relief it provides reinforces continued use.

Warning Signs of Problem Gambling

Problem gambling in teenagers often goes unrecognised because it is private, does not have obvious physical signs, and may be minimised by the young person involved. Warning signs include:

• Preoccupation with gambling: thinking about it frequently, making it a central topic of conversation
• Increasing time and money spent gambling
• Lying about gambling or hiding it from family members
• Borrowing or stealing money to gamble
• Continuing to gamble despite losing and despite negative consequences
• Using gambling to escape stress or difficult feelings
• Becoming irritable or distressed when unable to gamble
• Neglecting school, social activities, or other responsibilities due to gambling

What Parents Can Do

Talk about gambling openly: Research suggests that young people whose families discuss gambling, including its risks, are less likely to develop problem gambling. Conversations about how gambling is designed to make businesses money, about the mathematics of chance, and about the experience of near-misses (which make gambling feel closer to success than it actually is) build useful critical thinking.

Restrict access to gambling opportunities: Avoid normalising purchase of scratch cards or lottery tickets in front of children. Do not allow young people to gamble in the home context, even informally. Parental controls on mobile devices can restrict access to gambling apps.

Monitor in-game spending: Set and monitor limits on in-game purchases through parental control settings on gaming platforms. Discuss the gambling-like mechanics of loot boxes with teenagers explicitly.

Address the underlying issues: If a teenager is gambling as an escape from stress, depression, anxiety, or social difficulties, addressing those underlying issues is as important as addressing the gambling itself.

Getting Help

Problem gambling support services exist in most countries. The GamCare National Gambling Helpline (UK), the National Problem Gambling Helpline (US), and Gambling Help Online (Australia) all provide confidential support. Cognitive behavioural therapy has a strong evidence base for problem gambling treatment and is available through many of these services.

Conclusion

Gambling is far more present in teenagers' lives than most adults recognise, and the gambling-like mechanics of modern games and apps have expanded exposure significantly. Early conversations about gambling mechanics, probability, and the design intent of gambling products are among the most effective protective factors. Families that talk openly about gambling, set appropriate limits, and respond to warning signs without shame or judgment are best placed to prevent gambling from becoming a problem.