A growing share of children in Great Britain say they have never gambled, according to the Gambling Commission’s latest official statistics on young people. The Young People and Gambling 2026 report, published on 12 November, found that 74% of 11 to 17 year-olds said they had never gambled, up from 69.6% a year earlier, a rise the regulator describes as statistically significant.
The annual survey is one of the main sources the Commission uses to judge whether age verification and other protections are working. This year’s edition is based on responses from 3,867 pupils aged 11 to 17 in England, Scotland and Wales, who completed an online questionnaire during lessons at academies, maintained schools and independent schools.
Young people and gambling 2026: the key figures
The report found that 26% of young people had spent their own money on some form of gambling in the previous 12 months. Most of that spending was on activities that are legal for their age group or not age-restricted at all, rather than on products such as bookmaker bets or online casino games, which licensed operators must keep away from under-18s.
The share who had spent their own money on age-restricted gambling products was 5%. That is the figure the regulator watches most closely, because it points to children getting past age checks, whether in shops, venues or online, or gambling through someone else.
The most common activities were ones many adults would not think of as gambling:
- 19% had played arcade machines such as penny pushers or claw grabbers.
- 11% had placed a bet for money with friends or family.
- 5% had played cards for money with friends or family.
A downward trend since 2022
The longer view shows a gradual decline. In 2022, half of 11 to 17 year-olds said they had taken part in some form of gambling in the previous 12 months. In 2026, that figure was 45%. Over the same period, the proportion who had spent their own money on gambling fell from 31% to 26%. The Commission notes that the fall has not been a straight line, with some ups and downs in the years between.
The survey also measures negative consequences linked to gambling, such as missing school, lying to family or friends, or spending dinner money on gambling. This year, 0.9% of young people reported experiences of that kind, down from 1.2% last year, although the Commission says the change is not statistically significant.
That measure uses a screening tool adapted for young people, known as the DSM-IV-MR-J. The regulator is careful to stress that it is not a clinical diagnosis, and that treating the results as a measure of addiction among children would be a misuse of the data. It has also expanded the report’s guidance on the strengths and limits of the research, since the findings rely on what pupils say about themselves rather than on independently checked behaviour.
Advertising, social media and gaming
Beyond participation, the report looks at how often young people see gambling advertising, including on social media, and at the overlap between gambling and gaming and video games. Those areas have become a growing focus for policymakers as more of children’s screen time moves to platforms where ads and game mechanics are harder to separate.
Ben Haden, the Commission’s Director of Research and Statistics, said the regulator’s priority is to make sure children cannot spend money on age-restricted gambling, and described the survey as one important perspective on whether that is being achieved. The Commission says the statistics should be read alongside other evidence rather than on their own.
For readers following how the regulator has tightened protections in recent years, BritishGambler has covered new safety measures introduced by the Gambling Commission and the debate over financial risk checks on online gambling.
The full release is available on the Gambling Commission website.
Support and advice
Gambling is only legal from the age of 18 for most products in Great Britain. If you are worried about your own gambling or that of a young person, the National Gambling Helpline is free and confidential on 0808 8020 133, available 24 hours a day and run by GamCare. Our responsible gambling page lists further tools and organisations that can help.
