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Research conducted by Bournemouth University has shed light on the risks of gambling for young people. The study, commissioned by GambleAware, involved over 40,000 participants from the Great Britain Treatment and Support Survey. It focused on the effects of different gaming environments.
The research aimed to investigate the demographics, motivations, behaviors, and risks associated with 17 different types of gambling devices. The gambling devices examined included physical machines, online casino games and loot boxes, which have gained increasing popularity among young people.
The findings revealed that 76 percent of people using physical gambling machines and online casino games experienced “problem gambling”. Problem gambling is a gambling behavior that could lead to significant financial loss, emotional distress, and other negative life impacts.
Younger adults aged 18 to 34 were found to predominantly gamble using machines at bookmakers or casinos. The findings emphasised a need for stricter regulations to protect this age group. This age group was found to be particularly susceptible to gambling, with many individuals regularly engaging with gambling machines in bookmakers and casinos.
The study also found that 50 percent of loot box users showed signs of gambling risk. The susceptibility is also particularly heightened due to the increased accessibility of online gambling and loot boxes.
Dr Ruijie Wang, senior lecturer in psychology at Bournemouth University, said, “The results highlight the need for more stringent gambling regulation, particularly in online slots and physical gambling machines due to their high risk of harm to young adults.
“More regulation is also needed to limit gambling-like practices in video gaming, such as loot boxes, to individuals aged over 18 years as the interaction between video gaming and gambling should not be ignored.”
The report calls for the stronger gambling regulation, particularly when it comes to online slots, physical gambling machines, and loot boxes. It calls for more restrictions on the availability and design of physical gambling machines. These include reducing the number of machines in venues, slowing spin speeds, lowering staking and implementing mandatory breaks.
Last month, Nationwide, in its report revealed the impact of everyday gambling in the UK. According to the research, almost 11 percent which is more than one in ten gamblers bet every day, while 28 percent keep their gambling activities hidden from others.
The research unveils that gambling is a regular part of life for many in the UK. About 63 percent of respondents admitted that they indulge in gambling activities at least once a week. However, an even more concerning statistic emerged, 28 percent of gamblers prefer to keep their gambling activities a secret.