Abstract
Background. There is currently considerable public policy and regulatory interest in the nature and prevalence of underage gambling. Research in this area has purported to show that adolescents are at elevated risk of problem gambling and that early exposure to gambling or gambling-like activities could be a potential precursor to future harm. Method. In this commentary, we provide a critical appraisal of these arguments with reference to major studies in the field of gambling studies. It is argued that adolescent gambling research is a contentious area. Some questions remain concerning the validity of adolescent problem gambling measures, the strength of the association between adolescent and adult gambling and the impact of simulated gambling activities. Results. The paper summarises the conceptual and methodological issues that should be considered and addressed in future studies to strengthen the validity of research in this area. Conclusion. The paper encourages the greater use of harm-based measures, longitudinal and individual-level transition analyses and questions that capture the influence of activities rather than just their temporal sequencing.
Highlights
The evidence suggests that adolescence is a period during which young people are introduced to gambling, exposed to gambling and where gambling, or gambling-like experiences begin, and that it may be establishing a foundation for future gambling or gambling problems
Despite evidence that adolescent gambling participation rates may be falling [10], researchers point to new emerging influences and threats. These include the emergence of gambling-like activities in video-gaming as well as the rapid proliferation of sports advertising that is often difficult for young people to avoid online, at sports matches, and when they watch TV [33]
Youth gambling is often prioritised as an area of policy and research interest and reforms of gambling accessibility, its advertising and promotions and its interaction with sport is a topic of considerable regulatory interest
Summary
Commercial gambling activities are not legally available to young people under the age of 18 years in most countries, there is around three decades of research to show that underage gambling or gambling-like activity occurs quite regularly. These elevated figures have been obtained in research conducted in the United Kingdom [10,25,26], the United States [9,27,28,29], Canada [2,3,30] and in Australia [7,31] These findings are thought to coincide with studies of adult populations that commonly show elevated rates of problem gambling in younger adults (e.g., 18–24 years) which suggest that adolescence may often be the starting point for problems that manifest themselves more strongly in early adulthood [32]
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