Half of Scots 14-year-olds admit they have gambled
Habit is worse than alcohol and smoking, say experts
SCOTLAND’S teenagers are in the grip of a gambling crisis – and almost half of 14-year-olds have placed a bet in the past year.
Children are gambling online while playing computer games, putting money into arcades and using scratchcards to win money or prizes.
Experts warn the habit now causes more problems than teenage smoking and drinking, with mental health specialists fearing the addictions could affect a generation.
A Gambling Commission audit found that one in ten Scots between the ages of 11 and 16 had placed bets in the week before taking part in the survey.
The regulator’s UK-wide Gambling and Young People report, published last week, shows 140,000 children aged between 11 and 16 have, or risk having, a gambling problem.
The problem is so serious that a tool kit for teachers is now being made available to every Scottish school to raise awareness of gambling.
Most gambling is illegal for under18s, although scratchcards can be sold to 16-year-olds. But campaigners warn
‘It’s easy...no one sees you walking to a betting shop’
technology fuels underage gaming and raised concerns about:
Video games containing ‘loot boxes’, such as FIFA and Fortnite;
Social media games that use ‘virtual currencies’;
Online casinos that make it easier to win during free ‘taster’ sessions, which then encourage people to start paying to gamble;
Unregulated arcade games that look like fruit machines in pubs and family centres.
Some children have accessed gambling websites meant to be restricted to over-18s simply by clicking a button stating they are of age, exposing a lack of subsequent ID checks. They can then use a parent’s credit card to place bets and gamble with real money.
Last night, specialist addiction therapist Tony Marini, based at Castle Craig Hospital near West Linton, Peeblesshire, said: ‘Kids spend 24/7 on their devices these days and gambling is a form of escapism.
‘More and more people are coming to Gambling Anonymous with problems with online gambling and there are a lot more youngsters coming through the door. Seventy per cent of gambling is online now. It is so easy and you can hide an addiction easier than before. No one can see you walking back and forwards to the betting shop.’
A survey by Fast Forward, an organisation that provides health education for young people, highlighted the extent of youth gaming.
A theatre production about the dangers of gambling was performed at 55 Scottish schools, after which 4,450 pupils were quizzed about their gaming habits. Some 41 per cent of children in S3 – aged around 14 – had gambled in the previous 12 months.
Money had been spent on arcade games, betting with friends, scratch
cards and online games. The Gambling Commission’s research found that 12 per cent of Scottish children aged 11 to 16 had gambled in the week before their study was carried out.
The regulator’s 2018 report found 450,000 children in the UK – one in seven of those in the 1116 age group – bet regularly.
The commission also reported that more children said they had placed bets in the past week than had drunk alcohol, smoked or taken drugs.
The latest report shows the number of children struggling with a gambling addiction has quadrupled since 2016. Fast
Forward chief executive Alastair MacKinnon said: ‘Due to online availability, young people can access gambling much more readily and are exposed to gambling adverts on social media.
‘It is all relatively unregulated and the problem has not been equalled with awareness around risk and harm.’
The organisation’s gambling tool kit is now available to teachers and youth workers. It offers sample lesson plans so teachers can educate pupils about the misconceptions, potential dangers and consequences of gambling. It also lists treatment centres.
In August, the Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport select committee raised concerns about socalled ‘loot boxes’ and called for them to be banned for children.
The boxes contain a random prize, revealed only when the box is paid for and opened.
The player has to keep buying them until they strike it lucky and get the item they want.
Professor Gerda Reith, of the University of Glasgow, said: ‘Young people who gamble tend to do less well at school, they truant, and get on less well with their families. Gambling has long-term effects.’
Scottish Tory public health spokesman Annie Wells said: ‘Government should take this issue seriously and ensure the regulatory framework is fit for purpose. We certainly shouldn’t assume all children are equally resilient or savvy when it comes to online advertising.’
The Scottish Government said: ‘Compulsive disorders such as gambling addiction can be debilitating and distressing.
‘We encourage any actions that help reduce its harmful impact and tackle the untold hardship to the most vulnerable members of society. We would welcome moves aimed at protecting children and young people.’