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Problem Gamblers Report High Rates Of Gambling Legally As Children

New Research Reveals Child Gambling In The UK Is Strongly Associated With Adult Disordered Gambling

By Ashish PrabhuPublished 4 years ago 4 min read
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140,000 children aged 11 to 16 who have, or risk having, gambling problem 

Of the 140,000 total, a shocking 55,000 of them have a gambling addiction

The report also found more than one in ten had bet own money in last week

New research has revealed that legal child gambling in the UK is strongly associated with adult disordered gambling, specifically Lottery products, according to new research. 

The number of child gambling addicts in the UK has remained stubbornly high, leaving tens of thousands of families ‘living a nightmare’.

According to the study, there are 140,000 children aged between 11 and 16 who have, or risk having, a gambling problem.

The number has increased by 15,000 in a year. Of the 140,000, some 55,000 have a gambling addiction – a figure that has quadrupled since 2016.

The report also found more than one in ten 11 to 16 year-olds – about 350,000 – had gambled their own money in the past week, betting an average of £17 each.

This is more than the number who used e-cigarettes, smoked tobacco or take drugs.

Gambling including on fruit machines in pubs, bingo, in betting shops or via online websites – all of which are illegal for under-18s. 

A significant proportion – almost 100,000 children – had gambled online, three times more than the previous year.

Charles Ritchie, of the charity Gambling With Lives, which was set up by parents bereaved by gambling-related suicide, said: ‘Parents should be very worried that gambling online has increased and, that child gamblers are four times more likely to get addicted than adults. 

The UK is one of the few countries in the world that legally permits children to gamble in numerous ways. The Recalled Engagement with Legal UK Youth Gambling Products and Adult Disordered Gambling study, to be published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, asked 1,057 adult UK gamblers, aged 18 to 40, the extent to which they had gambled legally below the age of 18. Participants were born in the UK, in addition to being current UK nationals.

Led by Dr Philip W.S. Newall at CQUniversity in Melbourne, the research team comprised Dr Alex M. T. Russell, also of CQUniversity; Dr Steve Sharman of the University of East London, and Dr Lukasz Walasek, associate professor, University of Warwick. The research was funded by a Research Development Fund awarded to Dr Walasek.

Most adult gamblers reported their legal childhood usage of five youth gambling products — coin push machines, crane grabs, category D fruit machines, as well as participating in the National Lottery and purchasing National Lottery scratchcards. 

With the adult disordered gambling symptoms measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index, rates of recollected legal engagement varied from 50.9% for Category D fruit machines to 96.6% for 'coin push' machines, and 93.8% for 'crane grab' machines. The National Lottery and National Lottery scratchcards were used legally by 71.6% and 68.5% of gamblers between the ages of 16 and 17.

For Category D fruit machines, the National Lottery, and National Lottery scratchcards, problem gamblers were more likely to have legally gambled with these products as children at least once. 

There are reportedly over 55,000 child gambling addicts in the UK; the House of Lords Gambling Committee's latest report Gambling Harm – Time for Action identified child gambling exposure as a key area that requires attention, to reduce harm. 

"We welcome the news that the government is likely to increase the age limit for Lottery products to 18, as our research has demonstrated a statistically robust link between legal youth gambling and adult gambling problems," said Dr Steve Sharman, research fellow at the School of Psychology, University of East London. 

"This move represents a small but significant step in the right direction of protecting children from gambling harm. However, our research suggests that the minimum age of 18 should not just be applied to lottery products, but to all forms of gambling," Dr Sharman added. 

Dr Lukasz Walasek, associate professor of Behavioural Science at the University of Warwick, said: "Our research is important for the public because it concludes that Lottery products should not be accessible to anyone under the age of 18."

"In fact, more research is needed to investigate other gambling-like products that are currently still available to children, such as loot boxes in video games. The law needs to protect children from gambling-related harm in both the short and long term." 

The School of Psychology at the University of East London has long been at the forefront of academic discovery in gambling and addiction research. 

In recent weeks Dr Steve Sharman and Professor John Turner of the School were among 40 experts to sign an open letter from UK-based academic scientists to the secretaries of state for digital, culture, media and sport and for health and social care regarding the need for independent funding for the prevention and treatment of gambling harms. 

Professor Verity Brown, pro-vice chancellor, Impact and Innovation, at the University of East London, said the research findings are important and timely, with the potential to shape national policy. 

"We are proud to be among the institutions moving to take on in a scholarly way — as only universities can — an area of tremendous public attention and increasing concern." 

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