Ygam analysis finds 15% of UK pupils aged 13–17 have gambled

Ygam says analysis of approximately 18,000 health and wellbeing assessments from UK schoolchildren aged 13 to 17 found that 15% had gambled at least once. The findings were published alongside a new research partnership between Ygam and The Lancaster Model, announced in London on 15 October 2026.

The data, collected annually, covers responses from 2023 to 2026. Ygam said 82% of respondents reported they had not gambled. It reported a gender split of 21% of boys saying they had gambled at least once, compared with 9% of girls.

Ygam said almost 3% of respondents gamble monthly or more often, rising to 4.7% among boys and 0.7% among girls. Nearly 3% reported experiencing gambling harms, with boys three times more likely than girls to report harm (3.5% vs 1.2%). The company noted this measure is not directly comparable with prevalence estimates derived using validated gambling-harm screening tools. Ygam added that 1.7% of boys requested more information about gambling harms and 0.5% requested help/support.

The analysis also reported higher rates among non-binary and other-gender young people, with 40% saying they had gambled at least once and nearly 28% gambling monthly or more often. In that group, 20% reported experiencing gambling harms, while 4.2% requested information about gambling harms and 3.8% sought help and support.

Under the partnership, Ygam said it has supported expanding the questionnaire to capture the commercial and digital environments where young people spend time. New questions will explore exposure to gambling advertising and promotions, as well as gambling-like features within video games, including chance-based mechanics and in-game spending prompts. Emily Tofield, CEO of Ygam, said: “Gambling should never be normalised for children… By combining Ygam’s expertise with one of the UK’s largest sources of young people’s health and wellbeing data, we have a unique opportunity to strengthen the evidence base for a public health approach focused on prevention and early intervention.”

Kath Lancaster said the platform helps surface issues that may not be disclosed directly in schools and is recommended in the Government’s 2026 Healthy Child Programme guidance: “In this instance, it has enabled Ygam to study the anonymised thoughts and concerns of young people on gambling, revealing groups of children who are experiencing gambling harm… That's what makes asking the question so important.”