Abstract
Existing literature on recent trends in adolescent gambling is scarce. The rapidly changing landscape of gambling, together with the generally applied legal age limits, calls for the continuous monitoring of gambling also among the adolescent population. In Finland, the legal gambling age is 18. We examined changes in adolescents’ gambling, gambling expenditure and gambling–related harms from 2011 to 2017. Comparable cross-sectional biennial survey data were collected in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 among 12–18-year-olds (N = 18,857). The main measures were self-reported six-month gambling, average weekly gambling expenditure (€) and harms due to gambling. Data were analyzed using cross-tabulations, χ2-tests and linear regression analysis. A significant decline in gambling among minors (aged 12–16-year-olds) was found (β = − 0.253), while no significant changes were observed among 18-year-olds (who are not targeted by the law). The mean gambling expenditure also declined from 2011 to 2017. Adolescent gamblers experienced significantly less (p = .003) gambling–related harms in 2017 (7.4%) compared to 2011 (13.5%). Adolescent gambling and its related negative consequences have become less prevalent in Finland between 2011 and 2017. Further monitoring is necessary to ascertain whether the positive direction will continue. Also, empirical analyses providing evidence of reasons for the observed trend are warranted.
Highlights
Adolescence is a unique developmental phase of life, usually characterized as a time of increased involvement in risk behaviours, such as drinking alcohol, substance use and delinquency
Our study provided an overview of recent trends in adolescent gambling in Finland
We found a consistent and significant decline in minors’ gambling from 2011 to 2017, which was accompanied by a decrease in both self-reported gambling–related harms and gambling expenditure
Summary
Adolescence is a unique developmental phase of life, usually characterized as a time of increased involvement in risk behaviours, such as drinking alcohol, substance use and delinquency. Gambling is considered as a form of risk behaviour in adolescence (Derevensky and Gupta 2004; Messerlian et al 2007; Tozzi et al 2013). Journal of Gambling Studies (2020) 36:597–610 in these risky behaviours makes adolescents more vulnerable to adverse consequences and puts them at risk of developing addictions. Excessive gambling is considered to be non-substance addictive behaviour (Grant et al 2010); it has received increasing attention as an emergent social and public health issue in many jurisdictions (Adams et al 2009; Blinn-Pike et al 2010; Messerlian et al 2004, 2005). Despite age restrictions, being involved in legalized gambling has been shown to be common among adolescents (Blinn-Pike et al 2010; Volberg et al 2010)
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