A new study from Bournemouth University shows a worrying trend in youth gambling, highlighting the need for stricter regulations to protect young adults.
The research involved over 40,000 participants from the Great Britain Treatment and Support Survey. They dug into the demographics, motivations, and behaviors linked to 17 types of gambling devices, like physical machines and online games.
The findings were pretty shocking. About 76% of folks using physical gambling machines and online casino games reported experiencing “problem gambling.” That’s a huge number!
Young adults, especially those aged 18 to 34, were found to be the biggest users of these gambling machines at bookmakers and casinos. Plus, half of the people who used loot boxes showed some level of gambling risk.
Dr. Ruijie Wang, a senior lecturer in psychology at the university, emphasized the need for stricter regulations. He pointed out that online slots and physical machines pose a high risk to young adults. He also mentioned that we shouldn’t overlook the gambling-like practices in video games, like loot boxes, and suggested that these should be limited to those over 18.
The report calls for more restrictions on gambling machines, like reducing their numbers in venues, slowing down spin speeds, lowering stakes, and even implementing mandatory breaks. It’s clear that something needs to change to protect our youth from these risks.
