Up to 20% of young people aged 15-17 have bet on sports in the last year

Children and young people are hyper-connected to technology, which has allowed gambling to infiltrate their lives in ways that did not affect previous generations.

A 13-year-old today doesn’t know life without gambling advertising saturating sports with promotions for sports betting, from the betting company logos around the field and on players’ jerseys. During the game, commentators often refer to odds and then there is a barrage of ads making betting on sports look like an essential part of enjoying the game.

More research is needed to truly understand the impact of gambling and gambling ads on our children. The limited evidence is shocking:
• A 2010 study found that up to 20% of young Australians aged 15-17 had bet on sports in the past 12 months
• While gambling apps are illegal for those under 18, a 2015 study found that 60% of young people who gambled had done so online
• 40% of children in NSW aged 12-17 are playing video games and apps with features that look and feel like gambling, and 30% of the young people surveyed had bet for money in the last year, as reported by the Office for Responsible Gambling in 2021

The same study found that parents and advertising were the two key factors influencing young people to gamble. Increased exposure to gambling advertising was also associated with young people experiencing harm, with 46% of young people reporting they had seen ads on television.