The Born in Bradford Age of Wonder, one of the UK’s largest research studies of adolescence, surveyed more than 7,000 school pupils aged 12–15 and found that 29% of participants reported to spend money on gambling activities at least once.
At the same time, researchers found that very few pupils reported spending money on gambling websites or apps, suggesting that reported gambling among this age group was more commonly linked to offline, informal or embedded activities – such as fruit/slot machines, private bets, and in game purchases.
The most common type of gambling was fruit or slot machines, with one in six young people saying they had used them. Placing private bets (such as with friends) and playing cards for money were also common.
There were notable differences between groups. White British pupils were nearly three times more likely to have gambled (46%) than Pakistani British teenagers (16%).
Gillian Santorelli, Principal Statistician at Born in Bradford, said:
Our study shows that gambling behaviours – and gambling-like features in online gaming – are already present among pupils in the early secondary school years. We saw broadly similar levels of reported gambling across Years 8, 9 and 10, which suggests that prevention work needs to start early.
The findings also add to concerns about the boundary between gaming and gambling. More than half of pupils had spent real money inside online games, and more than one if four had purchased loot boxes or similar packs. These are not the same as traditional gambling, but they use change-based reward mechanisms that can look and feel similar.
Very few pupils reported spending money on gambling websites or apps, so the issue is not only about formal online gambling platforms. It is also about the more everyday ways that young people may encounter gambling or gambling-like activity, including fruit machines, private bets, in-game purchases and loot boxes. This gives schools, families and local services useful evidence to support earlier conversations about gambling -related harm.
The study also raises concerns about the blurring boundary between gaming and gambling. Over half of pupils had spent real money in at least one online game, and more than one in four had purchased loot boxes – randomised reward packs that share structural features with gambling. Boys were significantly more likely than girls to have engaged in in-game spending (73% versus 40%).
The Gambling-Related Harms (GRH) Group led by the Bradford Council welcomes the findings of this research study, furthering local understanding alongside previous estimates around 10,302 children in the Bradford district are also living in the same household as an adult who may have gambling-related support needs.
Craig Blundred, Director of Public Health at Bradford Council states:
This study highlights the significant potential impact of gambling-related harms on children, young people and families, and reinforces the importance of our prevention, education and early intervention work.
The Council and its partners are delivering the GRH Action Plan through four key themes, particularly raising awareness among children and young people. Each theme is supported by a range of actions designed to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm across the district.
As part of this commitment, Public Health and the Community Safety Partnership have commissioned the new Youth Education Service (YES) Bradford. Working alongside key Bradford Council partners, YES delivers a coordinated programme of health and harm reduction education in primary schools (Years 5 and 6), secondary schools (up to Year 13), and other youth settings and organisations across gambling harms (Chapter One), vaping and smoking and alcohol and drugs (Bridge Project).
The Born in Bradford Age of Wonder findings further strengthen this approach by providing valuable insight into young people’s experiences and behaviours.
This study is published as a preprint and currently undergoing peer review on the open research platform Wellcome Open Research, and is part of the Born in Bradford Age of Wonder, a seven-year project tracking the lives of all secondary school students in Bradford across 20 different life dimensions – from mental health and nutrition to gaming, the environment and AI use.