Research into gambling by children and young people indicates that Great Britain is behind many other jurisdictions when it comes to prevention, education and harm reduction measures. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport asked the Gambling Commission to carry out a review of the effectiveness and level of the current voluntary arrangements for the industry funding of gambling research, treatment and public education and the first consultation document was published in November 2007. The Review of Research, Education and Treatment report by the Gambling Commission is due to reach Ministers by mid-October.

Professor Gill Valentine from the University of Leeds has undertaken a literature review of children and young people’s gambling in order to strengthen the Gambling Commission’s understanding of the impact of gambling on children, to identify gaps in literature and to provide recommendations for further research. When compared to adults, a significantly higher proportion of children and young people are either problem gamblers or at risk of becoming problem gamblers.

The research highlights the potential usefulness of a public health model (incorporating prevention, education and harm reduction) when tackling gambling by children and young people. It also makes recommendations that include the need to explore parental attitudes towards underage gambling. The review found that whilst accessibility to gambling opportunities appears to correlate with participation, attempts by regulatory means to restrict access can only be at best partially successful because young people find ways around them, including with the help of their parents. (E-10.06.08)

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