GambleAware has released its annual Treatment and Support Survey, which monitors the long-standing needs and usage of treatment and support for gambling harms.
YouGov conducted this survey, covering 18,178 UK adults, with the study conducted in November 2023.
According to the survey, it is estimated that 1.65 million children under 18 grow up in households with adult gambling problems.
Moreover, the report also shows that the likelihood of children themselves falling into gambling problems is 8%, four times higher than that of unaffected others (2%).
The report also reveals for the first time the residual harms of gambling, studying those who have gambled in the past and the impacts suffered due to gambling, such as financial or health impacts.
Data from respondents who have gambled shows that 18% expressed the urge to gamble again in the past six months.
Based on the overall survey results, GambleAware calls for policy changes to address the normalization of gambling in everyday life and to help protect children and young people.
Some of the recommendations include implementing watershed bans on television advertising, adding health warnings to all gambling advertisements, and prohibiting gambling marketing in sports events.
GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond stated, "The data we released today in our Treatment and Support Survey highlights the impact of the normalization of gambling on individuals, families, and communities. This study shows a concerning link between exposure to gambling at a young age and the risk of harm later in life, and for the first time indicates the potential lasting impact of residual harms.
"Gambling harm can affect anyone, which is why we must break the associated stigma and encourage people to speak out about gambling harms.
"We also need to take further steps to first protect people from gambling harms. That's why we are calling on the government to take a more strategic leadership approach, increase investment in prevention and treatment programs to address gambling harms in the UK, and strengthen regulation of gambling advertising."
GambleAware has also recently commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to conduct a study on the relationship between gambling and socially excluded communities in the UK.
