, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of
State for Digital, Culture, Media and
Sport, commenting on the Gambling Commission
release that shows 55,000 children are gambling addicts, said:
“Levels of gambling among children remain stubbornly high. One
child gambling addict is too many, let alone 55,000, and these
figures show one in ten children is gambling every week.
“The government’s soft touch approach to gambling regulation has
failed. The next Labour government will bring problem gambling
under control with a comprehensive new gambling act, which will
bring gambling advertising, spiralling losses and burgeoning
in-game gambling products under control.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
- 1.7 per cent of 11-16 year olds are classified as ‘problem’
gamblers. When grossed up to population figures, the 1.7 per
cent of young people classified as problem gamblers equates to
approximately 55,000 11-16 year olds in England, Scotland and
Wales.
- The findings show that 11 per cent of 11-16-year olds that
took part in the survey say they have spent their own money on
gambling in the past seven days
- Young people who say they have gambled in the past seven days
spent an average of £17 on gambling during this period.
- 52 per cent of young people say they have heard of in game
items, of which 44 per cent who say they have paid money to open
loot boxes to get other in game items within the game they were
playing, and 6 per cent said that they have bet with in-game
items either with friends or through unlicensed third party sites
(so called ‘skins’ gambling).
- Of those that have paid for money to open loot
boxes/crates/packs and remember where they got the money from 49
per cent spent money that they received for birthday or Christmas
presents, with 34 per cent saying the money was given to them by
parents/relatives to specifically buy loot boxes/crates/packs.
- Source: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news-action-and-statistics/news/gambling-commission-publishes-the-2019-young-people-and-gambling-report
