GambleAware investigates young people’s exposure to influencer advertising
A selection of studies released by GambleAware reflect the large numbers of young people being exposed to gambling via social media and influencer marketing.
Key points:
– 87% of young people responding to one survey said they had been exposed to gambling content online
– GambleAware calls for tighter controls, suggesting early exposure leads to problems in later life
– 36% of boys between 16-17 claimed to have gambled after seeing a celebrity promotion
A compilation of research from Social Finance and Sherbert Research and released by GambleAware features some striking numbers regarding young people’s exposure to gambling content.
One survey of British youth, aged between 13 and 17, revealed that 87% of those taking part had been exposed to gambling content online.
This figure hangs significantly together with another datapoint which records 79% of the young people asked as believing that there should be more rules around gambling content and advertising on social media.
A similar number of those interviewed (78%) suggested that no one under the age of 18 should ever be exposed to content and advertising about gambling.
According to the research it seems that social media platforms and celebrity influencers seem to be forming the most common channel by which this content is being disseminated to children.
One person quoted in the research said: “I have had so many YouTube ads that is not even funny.”
A quarter of children and young people who gave responses to the questions said they had been tempted to spend money on gambling after seeing celebrities promoting it in some way – it’s agreed by two-thirds of participants in one survey that this is a practice that should not be allowed to happen.
For boys aged between 16-17, 36% even claimed to remember having gambled themselves after seeing a celebrity promotion.
Good to know: Zoe Osmond will be stepping down shortly as GambleAware CEO, handing over to transitional CEO Anna Hargrave in anticipation of the organisation’s managed closure in March 2025
This collection of investigations was conducted varoiusly across the three GB nations and took place from 2024 into 2025.
GambleAware has reiterated its support for intensified scrutiny on influencer and content marketing.
Zoe Osmond, CEO at GambleAware, said: “It is unacceptable that children’s environments continue to be flooded with age-restricted content. Consistent exposure to influencer-driven gambling content contributes to the normalisation of gambling amongst school aged children and we know that early exposure to gambling at a younger age can lead young people to have a higher risk of experiencing gambling harm later in life.”
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