No minor problem
The Guardian’s resident gambling expert Rob Davies brought us some troubling news this week, as he reported that “the proportion of young people in Great Britain with a gambling problem has more than doubled”.
New figures from the Gambling Commission revealed a “shock rise, to 85,000, in the number of children classified as having a gambling problem under widely used diagnostic criteria.”
Meanwhile, almost 10% of children reported that a family member’s gambling had caused problems at home, while the number saying their own gambling habits had led to lost sleep and missed school or homework also grew.
As for the general prevalence of gambling among young people, the figures hardly offer any reassurance. Among those aged 11 to 17, 26% said they had gambled using their own money in the past year.
Most of those gambled on legal activities for their age group, like seaside arcades or casual bets among friends.
There was, however, a “significant increase” identified since 2023 in the number of under-18s gambling with bookies, either in-person or online.
One seeming result of that is a more than doubling in the prevalence of gambling problems among young people, from 0.7% in 2023 to 1.5% this year.
The proportion was higher among boys at 1.7%, and higher still among children aged 14 to 17, at 1.9%. For young people living in Scotland, the figure was as high as 3%.
The upshot of this is, perhaps unsurprisingly, further calls for regulatory reform from certain political figures.
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith called the figures “astonishing,” adding that “the gambling firms are completely out of control and seem to be going after young people.”
When it comes to the regulatory reforms on their way in Britain, it seems undeniable that the protection of young people should be front-and-centre of any forthcoming policy changes.
In the navy
Elswhere, Reuters reported this week that China’s navy had issued “an usual warning” to its young officers and personnel.
Young members of the organisation were told that they could get “ensnared by online dating scams and virtual gambling if they let down their guard,” thus putting themselves and the broader Chinese military at risk.
In a social media post targeting members born after 1990, the navy also said young soldiers should avoid revealing their military identity online, as it could make them “extremely easy” targets for criminals.
“Distinguish carefully and keep some distance when making friends online,” the post said, and “never lose sight of your principles and make random friends with netizens”.
Crucially, the post also warned against online gambling, which is outlawed in China.
Gambling addiction is akin to “being possessed by a demon,” according to the advice, and can lead vulnerable players to “fall into an endless abyss”.
With previous reports that soldiers in Ukraine had begun developing severe gambling problems since the onset of the war with Russia, it’s perhaps no surprise that military organisations around the world are paying more attention to the potential harms of gambling.
Similarly high rates of gambling harm had previously been found among American soldiers, too, meaning those in the military could be at a higher risk of harm than the general population.
In that context, perhaps it makes perfect sense for China’s navy to issue such a stark warning.
Off-pitch
Finally, ABC News brought us the latest from Down Under as it revealed the Australian government is contemplating an in-stadium ban on gambling advertising.
While backbench MPs continue to push for an outright ban on all gambling ads in Australia, the federal government has offered something of an olive brand in the form of the in-venue ban.
“Though still falling well short of a total ban on gambling advertising, the move would end what campaigner Tim Costello called the ‘particularly offensive’ high-profile digital messaging from online sports betting companies,” ABC reports.
Advertising is commonly seen in venues for Aussie rules football and rugby matches, as well as appearing on the jerseys and uniforms of the teams themselves.
Any measures to phase these out would require agreement from both state and territory governments, so the path to a new way has in no way been a straightforward one.
On the side of harsher restrictions, Costello suggests the proposed ban on in-stadium advertising and logos on team strips is “really necessary”, but still insufficient.
“If you want to protect children you have to have a total ban,” he said. “Every ad influences them to become a gambler.”
While the possibility of an outright ban continues to be uncertain, this latest move will certainly be considered a step in the right direction by the plan’s backers.