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25,000 children in Britain are problem gamblers, report finds 25,000 children in Britain are problem gamblers, report finds
(about 3 hours later)
Around 25,000 children between 11 and 16 are problem gamblers, with many introduced to betting via computer games and social media, according to a new report that has prompted warnings that the UK is “sleepwalking into a future public health storm”. About 25,000 children between 11 and 16 are problem gamblers, with many learning to bet via computer games and social media, according to a report that has prompted warnings that the UK is “sleepwalking into a future public health storm”.
The Gambling Commission warned that children were experiencing gambling in a “consequence-free environment” through free-to-play casino games on social media or within some computer games. In its annual survey of youth gambling, industry regulator the Gambling Commission voiced fears that children were gambling in a “consequence-free environment”, including through so-called “skins” betting on video games.
About 12% of children in England, Scotland and Wales, or around 370,000, have gambled in the past week, spending an average of £10 each, the commission found. Its concerns prompted Labour, which deregulated the gambling industry in 2005 but has changed its stance, brand existing legislation “woefully out of date”.
And 0.9% of children between 11-16, around 25,000, are defined as problem gamblers, with 1.3% at risk of developing a problem. About 12% of children in England, Scotland and Wales, or about 370,000, have gambled in the past week, doing so for the first time aged 12 on average, the Commission found.
The report also reveals that 11% of children take part in “skins” betting, where players of online computer games can bet with in-game items that in some cases have real monetary value. They spent an average of £10 on gambling a week, more than a third of their £28 income from work or pocket money, with 8% claiming to have spent more than £40.
More than one in 10 children said they had played casino-style games accessible on Facebook, while the same proportion follow a gambling company on social media. Almost 1% of children between 11-16, or about 25,000, are defined as problem gamblers, with a further 36,000 at risk of developing a problem.
And the report gave some insight into the extent that children are being exposed to gambling, with 80% saying they have seen adverts on television and 70% through social media. Fruit machines remain the most common introduction to gambling for young people at 24%, followed by the National Lottery at 21%.
Marc Etches, chief executive of the UK’s leading problem gambling charity, GambleAware, said the organisation was “very concerned about how increasingly children are being introduced to gambling via social media, video gaming, and free-to-play casino games online. But the Commission said children were increasingly being exposed to gambling in less traditional ways, such as computer games and social media.
“With more than 500,000 11- to 15-year-olds reporting that they gamble we are in great danger of sleepwalking into a future public health storm over gambling-related harm in Britain. The report found that 11% of children take part in “skins” betting, whereby online gamers can bet using in-game items, such as weapons or outfits, some of which have real monetary value.
“Parents and family members often introduce young people to gambling, whether that is placing a bet or buying a scratch-card, but will do so without explaining the nature of gambling or the associated risks. More than one in 10 reported having played casino-style games accessible on Facebook or smartphone apps, while the same proportion follow a gambling company on social media.
“That 40% of young people who gamble said they did so ‘to make money’ shows exactly why teenage misconceptions of chance and risk leave them so vulnerable. Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, said the party would redraw the UK’s gambling laws to tighten up regulation and address emerging risks.
“The rise of ‘skins’ gambling and other forms of gambling online or in games which encourage children to trade in cosmetic online items for cash, only serves to demonstrate that our gambling laws are woefully out of date.
“The next Labour government will bring in a new gambling act that ensures our gambling laws are fit for the digital age and finally tackle Britain’s hidden gambling epidemic.”
The Commission’s chief executive, Sarah Harrison, has previously labelled unlicensed websites that allow children to gamble on video games “parasites”.
The report offers some insight into the extent that children are exposed to gambling, with 80% saying they have seen adverts on television and 70% through social media.
“It is worrying that children continue to be bombarded with adverts promoting gambling through TV, online and via social media,” said Watson.
Marc Etches, chief executive of the leading problem gambling charity, GambleAware, said the UK was “in great danger of sleepwalking into a future public health storm over gambling-related harm”.
He added: “[Computer] gaming with gambling presents real future challenges to the current regulatory framework. We’ve been saying for some time we have concern about the normalisation of gambling for young people and this report absolutely bears that out.”
Etches questioned why the government’s green paper on internet safety, published last month, did not allude to gambling as an online danger, calling on policymakers and regulators to “wake up”.
He also voiced concerns about a lack of education available to young people about the risks involved.
“That 40% of young people who gamble said they did so ‘to make money’ shows exactly why teenage misconceptions of chance and risk leave them so vulnerable,” Etches said.
The report also found that four in 10 children said their parents had discussed the dangers of gambling with them, while fewer than a one in five had been warned of the dangers by teachers.
“We need better education and prevention measures in place to give children the resilience to avoid gambling-related harm.”“We need better education and prevention measures in place to give children the resilience to avoid gambling-related harm.”