A new UK study suggests that a generation of children and young people are being exposed to online gambling content at unprecedented levels — with influencer marketing playing a potentially powerful role in shaping attitudes and behaviours.  

 

The research, commissioned by British charity GambleAware and authored by Social Finance with academic partners including Bournemouth University, the University of Sussex, GamCare, and Ygam, sheds light on how gambling-related content permeates digital spaces and how this may influence youth perceptions and actions.  

 

High Rates of Exposure, Little Control  

 

One of the study’s most striking findings is that 87 % of the young people surveyed reported seeing gambling content online, often in the form of brand advertising, promotional offers like free bets or spins, and content from gambling-focused creators.  

 

For many young people, this content feels overwhelming:  

 

More than half say the amount of gambling content they encounter feels out of their control.  

 

Two-thirds want to see less gambling content online.  

 

Only one in five feel completely in control of what gambling content they see.  

 

This lack of control is especially notable among those who spend extensive time gaming online — a group that was more likely to follow gambling creators and see related content.  

 

Link Between Influencers and Gambling Perceptions  

 

While the majority of respondents overall did not see gambling as “harmless fun,” those who followed gambling-focused content creators were significantly more likely to hold positive views about gambling and engage with gambling-related platforms.  

 

Key patterns included:  

 

Young people who follow gambling creators were more likely to use promotional codes or visit gambling sites mentioned by those creators.  

 

This group showed higher engagement not only with regulated gambling but also with unregulated gambling-like activities — such as crypto trading and fantasy sports.  

 

Researchers note that these findings do not establish causation, but they highlight how content can shape perceptions that normalise gambling behaviours among youth.  

 

Gender Differences in Gambling Exposure and Activity  

 

The report also documents gender-related trends:  

 

Non-binary respondents reported the highest levels of gambling engagement across all activity types — although the sample size for this group was small and results should be interpreted cautiously.  

 

Male respondents were significantly more involved in higher-risk activities such as crypto trading and esports betting.  

 

Females were more likely to participate in traditional, lower-stake forms like bingo or lotteries.  

 

These distinctions highlight not just differences in how gambling is experienced across genders, but also how exposure via online channels might intersect with broader activity patterns.  

 

Policy Implications and What’s Next  

 

The report concludes that the ecosystem of gaming, social media, and gambling marketing creates risks that need coordinated responses from regulators, educational systems, and digital platforms.  

 

Among the recommendations:  

 

Comprehensive regulatory mapping to understand gaps that allow gambling-related influencer marketing to slip through the cracks.  

 

Evolving prevention strategies that reflect the crossover between gaming and gambling exposure.  

 

Better support for parents and educators to help young people navigate and critically assess gambling-related content online.  

 

Context and Limitations  

 

While the main report’s findings are based on a survey of 634 children and young people across the UK, and thus not nationally representative, they align with broader GB-wide data from similar research showing widespread exposure to gambling content — including celebrity and influencer adverts — among 11–17-year-olds.  

 

Why This Matters Now  

 

The gaming and iGaming industries have rapidly expanded digital outreach, with social media platforms and influencer partnerships becoming central to marketing strategies. As these trends grow, so does concern about how young users interact with and internalise gambling content — even if they are under legal gambling age.  

 

With government and platforms debating how to tighten advertising standards — particularly around age-restricted content — this report provides concrete evidence that today’s digital landscape may be exposing children and teens to gambling messaging far earlier and more frequently than previously understood.  

 

Article by Dunder Casino Sweden