The Responsible Gambling Council analyses the topic of young people in the United Kingdom and the risks they embark on through lottery participation and the impacts of COVID-19 in it’s latest webinar.
What is it?
The webinar examines data collected from ‘Examining Lottery Play & Risk Among Young People in Great Britain’, a study conducted by Dr. Sasha Stark, Senior Researcher, Responsible Gambling Council and Dr. Heather Wardle, Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Reader, University of Glasgow.
The research, funded by the Gambling Research Exchange who also sponsored the event, found that in the UK 16-24 year-olds consistently have one of the highest rates of problem gambling amongst adults.
This webinar shared insights on how lottery participation is related to gambling problems among young people in Great Britain, and how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the gambling behaviours and problems of young people in the UK.
RGC: All in for Safer Gambling is an independent, non-profit organisation which provides global insights on RG, working with all stakeholders: regulators, industry, treatment providers, players and families to prevent problem gambling and reduce risks.
Who is it?
Speakers:
Dr. Sasha Stark, Senior Researcher, Responsible Gambling Council
Dr. Heather Wardle, Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Reader, University of Glasgow
Moderated by:
Janine Robinson, Director, CABP & RG Plus
What is being said?
Wardle: “From my perspective I think these findings are a really useful and timely reminder that when we’re talking and thinking about gambling and reducing gambling related harms, we have to consider the full range of activities that people engage with.
“What we’ve seen in the UK and kind of policy focus perspectives is a lot of focus, quite rightly, on fixed odd betting terminals and on online equivalents and online behaviours.
“But actually when we are talking about 16-24 year-olds the most popular activity amongst that age group is the purchase of scratch cards. We know very little about who is doing that, what are the implications of that or again what is it’s relationship with gambling harms.
“We have now found for the first time that among this very specific age group who use these things a lot, of the gambling they take part in this is the most popular thing that they do, there is an association that we can detect with problem gambling.
“It’s not explained by some other things like mental health or broader gambling participation. That does leave us with some form of pause for thought about whether we need to also make sure that when we are looking at our range of actions for reducing harms on particular activities, we’re making sure we are also including things like scratch cards within our thinking.”
Why should I watch it?
To Understanding the Risks of Lottery Participation and Impacts of COVID-19 to young people within the UK.
Where can I see more?
Source: Responsible Gambling Council YouTube Channel
