12% of young people who participate in online betting develop gambling problems

Young people between 18 and 25 years old are those most at risk of suffering from gambling disorders, according to the 2022-2023 Gambling Prevalence Study, prepared by the General Directorate of Gambling Regulation of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

According to the report, the player profile in Spain is increasingly younger (22% of players are under 25 years old) and the way to enter the game is, for the most part, in person. Specifically, the lottery and the instant or press lottery. 86.61% of respondents of that age claim to have played both and, of them, 2.7% present symptoms of gambling problems.

In the online modality, 36.5% of young people between 18 and 25 years old who have gambled in the last year have participated in online betting and, of them, 12.45% have developed symptoms of gambling problems. Next, roulette (28.08% participation; with 23.3% symptoms of gambling problems), the lottery (27.04% participation; with 12.91% symptoms of gambling problems) and cards (24.06% participation; with 20.03% symptoms of gambling problems).

These data, as highlighted by the acting Minister of Consumer Affairs, Alberto Garzón, show that, despite face-to-face gambling being more common, the risks increase exponentially in the online environment, with young people being the most vulnerable and exposed to a possible gambling disorder.

“We are concerned about the most vulnerable population. And the 18 to 25 age group is especially vulnerable. It is a generation that has suffered the impact of several economic crises, that is developing its own identity and whose problems in those primary stages of life can aggravate or develop in adulthood,” said the acting Minister of Consumer Affairs.

Gambling problems or disorders also have a greater incidence, at all ages, in the online environment. For example, of the players who claim to bet on lotteries in person, only 1.5% show symptoms of gambling problems compared to 24.5% who have them as instant online lottery players.

Another of the highlighted data from the 2022-2023 Gambling Prevalence Study is that it is gambling machines (both in person and online) that, for the entire population, increase the risk of suffering from gambling problems. Not in vain, 21.27% of those who use them in physical locations and 52.56% of those who play over the Internet present symptoms of problematic gambling.

Fewer players, but greater risk

The report shows that, in the last year, almost half (49.2%) of the people surveyed have played at some point, either physically or online, which represents a decrease of 8 percentage points compared to the last EDADES 2022 survey carried out by the Ministry of Health, which set the figure for problem gambling at 1.7%.

The 2022-2023 Consumer Gambling Prevalence Study, however, raises this number of players with gambling disorder symptoms to 2.01%. This confirms, as Garzón explained, the need to regulate gambling advertising, as was done in 2021 with the approval of the Royal Decree on commercial communications and responsible gambling that was carried out this same year through the RD 176/2023 on safe gaming environments.

“Until then, the responsibility of minimising the risks of gambling had been left in the hands of companies and this has proven, as the data reflects, ineffective. Now, with the decree that regulates the advertising of betting and games of chance in force and the approval of the Royal Decree on safe gaming environments, we are convinced that these figures will improve,” said the minister.

Regarding the motivations for gambling, the report indicates that in most cases players bet to win money (43% of cases). It is also striking that half of the people with disorder symptoms justify their behaviour in this way. As a second reason, those surveyed indicate playing out of habit, custom or tradition (37%) and fun (9%) comes in third place.

A legislature of progress to protect the most vulnerable

Among the regulations approved by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to reinforce the protection of consumers, the Royal Decree that restricted the exposure of minors and other vulnerable groups to betting and gambling advertising stands out. Thus, since August 31, 2021 and after ten years of lack of control, online advertising of the game and advertising on radio and television were regulated (only allowed in the period from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.) along with the sponsorship of kits, stadiums and sports teams, among other measures.

The ministry has also approved in this legislature to reorient the gambling rate towards activities aimed at the prevention of gambling addiction and the coordination of self-prohibited registries and has implemented measures to strengthen the protection of the most vulnerable gamblers, forcing operators to create safer gaming environments.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has also participated, together with the General Directorate of Police (DGP), in criminal investigations into possible manipulations of sports competitions and betting fraud with the aim of strengthening the fight against fraud in this market.

In addition, it has launched various awareness campaigns to warn about the risks of gambling among youth.

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