GambleAware Study Highlights Impact of Early-Age Exposure to Gambling

The study interviewed 18,000 adults and looked into how the habits of gamblers around younger people could have a negative impact on gambling behavior on them as well. Essentially, the study established that two in three adults who have been harmed by gambling confirmed that they knew someone who gambled when they were a child. The findings come at a time when demand for gambling-related harm treatment has been soaring.

GambleAware Releases Results from Latest YouGov Study

YouGov established that family members gambling, or seeing gambling messages on TV can have an adverse impact on the young person’s long-term prospects in coping with the activity or treating it just as a form of entertainment. According to YouGov, 64% of all respondents who were classified as “experiencing significant harm” confirmed that knowing someone who gambled when they weren’t even 18 years old had influenced their own choices later on.

Interestingly, out of people who did not gamble, only one in four people said they knew someone who gambled or 25%. In other words, there is a normalization of gambling across society which is having an impact on young people and their lives later on. There is a potential link between early exposure and the harms that gambling can bring later in life, GambleAware said in a statement commenting on the findings of the YouGov study.

YouGov provided more actionable insight into the habits and backgrounds of people who had suffered from gambling. For example, 6% of people were exposed to gambling before they were five years old. Another 28% experienced gambling between the ages of six and 11. Another 22% said that they had gambled before they were 18 years old, and 16% said that they started between the ages of 12 and 17. A similar conclusion was reached thousands of miles away in Australia.

GambleAware chief executive Zoe Osmond commented on the findings and said that the organization was concerned about parents who were unable to shield their children from gambling in their childhood, leading to more serious problems in adult life. Osmond also touched on the stigma associated with gambling:

It is also important to end the stigma associated with gambling, which is acting as a key barrier to those wanting advice and support.

GambleAware chief executive Zoe Osmond

Vulnerable and Suffering Gamblers Ought to Seek Help

More worryingly, at least 1.6 million children under the age of 18 live with people who are suffering from gambling addiction or gambling-related harm. The study also looked into how people were coping with the problem.

An estimated 48% of the people who reported gambling-related harm said that they were in fact ashamed or embarrassed by what they were going through, making them more reluctant to not seek help.

In fact, 34% of the people who were suffering significantly from gambling-related harm confirmed that they had not sought any help. Osmond and GambleAware have welcomed people to step forward and seek professional help in order to get the help they need and deserve.