o A majority of young people gamble at some point, with research in 2011 finding that around three quarters of people aged 10 to 24 had gambled in the previous 12 months. o Less than ten per cent of young people gamble once a week or more on most gambling activities in the previous 12 months. o Young people gamble on a variety of activities, most commonly playing scratch tickets and playing card games for money. Around one in five young people had gambled on sports or racing in the past year. o Three to four per cent of teenagers have problems with gambling. That’s one in every high school class of 25 students. A further 16 per cent may be at-risk of having problems with their gambling. o Teenagers are four times more likely to develop problems with gambling than adults.
Purdie, N., Matters, G., Hillman, K., Murphy, M., Ozolins, C. and Millwood, P. (2011) Gambling and young people in Australia.
Gambling Research Australia. August 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2013. o Boys are more likely to gamble and develop problems with gambling than girls.
Volberg, R.A., Gupta, R., Griffiths, M.D., Olason, D.T. and Delfabbro, P. (2010) “An international perspective on youth gambling prevalence studies” International journal of adolescent mental health. Vol. 22, No.1 (pp.3-38). o One in five adults with gambling problems started gambling before they were 18.
Department of Justice (2009). A study of gambling in Victoria: problem gambling from a public health perspective. Melbourne:
Victorian Government Department of Justice. o Parents’ gambling behaviours and attitudes may influence whether a teenager is likely to gamble before they are 18. o Having family who approve of gambling, or who gamble frequently, is associated with increased frequency of gambling among young people.
Delfabbro (2003) “The social determinants of youth gambling in South Australian adolescents” Journal of Adolescence. Vol 26,
No3 (pp313-30).

o Young people usually do not gamble frequently, but 6.3 per cent of young people gambled at least once a week. o Younger adolescents are less likely to gamble than young adults are.
Delfabbro, P., Lambos, C., King, D. and Puglies, S. (2009) “Knowledge and beliefs about gambling in Australian secondary school students and their implications for education strategies”. Journal of Gambling Studies. Vol. 25, No 4 (pp.523-539). o Gambling by young people is associated with other risk-taking and harmful behaviours and attitudes.
Allen, K., Madden, J. and Brooks, K. (2008) The Virtual Jackpot! The socio-cultural and environmental context of youth gambling. Queensland Treasury. July 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2013. o Most young people who have problems with their gambling do not recognise that they have a gambling problem, and therefore do not seek appropriate help.
Splevins, K., Mireskandari, S., Clayton, K. and Blaszczynski, A. (2010) “Prevalence of adolescent problem gambling, related harms and help-seeking behaviours among an Australian population”. Journal of Gambling Studies. 26(2):18-204. o Reportedly, spending on sports betting television advertising has increased more than threefold between 2010 and 2012 o In 2012, there were reportedly 20,000 sports betting advertisements on free to air TV.
Jackson S, ‘Waterhouse leads pack in online betting ad splurge’, The Australian, 25 February 2013 o Young people are influenced by advertising depicting gambling as fun, harmless, sociable, easy and life changing.
McMullan, J., Miller, D. & Perrier, D. (2012). “I’ve Seen Them So Much They Are Just There”: Exploring Young People’s
Perceptions of Gambling in Advertising. International Journal of Mental Health Addiction 10(6): 829-848.
For more information:
Michelle Bryne , Strategic Communications Manager ph: 03 9452 2619 m: 0437 471 807 michelle.bryne@responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au
Ingelise Jones , Senior Communications Advisor ph: 03 9452 2616 ingelise.jones@responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au
Key research points about young people and gambling 2