Children’s problem gambling doubles

THE number of children classed as problem gamblers has doubled in a year.

Many youngsters are being drawn into betting via video games and social networking sites such as Facebook, the gambling watchdog warns.

It said more than 25,000 youngsters aged from 11 to 16 were so hooked that it was dramatically affecting their wellbeing.

One in eight children admitted they had staked their own money in the past week.

Tens of thousands are learning how to gamble via online sites, which let children bet on bingo and poker without using real money.

The Gambling Commission found that those who play these games were twice as likely to end up staking real money. It raised the alarm about ‘skins betting’ sites, where children can win items they can then swap or gamble online for cash.

The commission’s study into young people and gambling also found:

The average age children started gambling was 12, with some starting at seven;

The problem gambling rate for children is slightly higher than for adults;

More than two-thirds have seen gambling adverts on social media – and one in ten follows betting firms online;

Youngsters are more likely to gamble than to smoke or take drugs;

Children spent an average of £10 on gambling a week, with 8 per cent claiming to have spent more than £40.

Marc Etches, chief executive of the charity GambleAware, said: ‘We are very concerned about how increasingly children are being introduced to gambling via social media, video gaming and free-to-play casino games online.

‘We are in great danger of sleepwalking into a future public health storm over gambling-related harm in Britain.’

The commission found that 12 per cent of children aged 11 to 16 had gambled over the past week.

But among users of web gambling-style games, the figure was 25 per cent. These children also typically started gambling properly at a younger age than those who did not.

The damning report comes just a day after former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya accused the web firm of ‘ripping apart the fabric of society’.

Tim Miller, executive director of the Gambling Commission, said: ‘It is clear that many children’s experiences of gambling-style activities are coming from the playground, the games console or social media rather than the bookmaker, the casino or the gambling website.

‘That’s why it is essential that we work across industries and with parents so that together we can protect children and encourage those that choose to gamble in adulthood to do so safely.’