GambleAware may be set to wind down in 2026, but the charity has continued to be the source of important insight into issues related to gambling, analyzing specific behavior and outstanding issues that need to be further addressed by regulators, legislators, and the industry.
New research highlights the need to address the prevalence of gambling ads seen by children
A new survey by Social Finance1 and Sherbert Research, commissioned by GambleAware, has revealed a new worrying trend – that children and adolescents aged 13-17 are exposed to various gambling ads and content at an unprecedented level.
This early exposure and influence are tied to issues later in life, such as an inability to control one’s gambling habits and an increased likelihood of developing a gambling-related problem. GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond OBE commented on the latest data, having this to add:
"It is unacceptable that children’s environments continue to be flooded with age-restricted content. Consistent exposure to influencer-driven gambling content contributes to the normalisation of gambling amongst school-aged children, and we know that early exposure to gambling at a younger age can lead young people to have a higher risk of experiencing gambling harm later in life."
She added that current regulations needed to acknowledge the fact that much of the gambling content was pushed with the help of online platforms, including influencers, celebrities, and content creators.
The survey analyzed that the respondents in the 13-17 age group have massively reported seeing ads online. Out of those, 87% said that they saw gambling ads frequently, and often without actually looking for such ads themselves.
Mainstream social and streaming platforms become conduits of gambling ads to children
The main platforms providing such content included Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Kick, based on the research’s findings. 16% of the 13-17-year-olds said that they saw content creators directly link to gambling codes, and 14% of those content creators, or influencers, also shared "tips" on how to gamble.
Children and adolescents were not amused, with many of them lamenting that seeing so many gambling ads was funny at first, but that no longer was the case.
The majority of respondents agreed – 79% - that gambling content should be better regulated on social media and similar platforms, and 78% said that U-18s should not even see such content.
