London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 08, 2025

Children of problem gamblers ‘more likely to be bought scratchcards’

Children of problem gamblers ‘more likely to be bought scratchcards’

Exclusive: findings of UK survey come as charity warns early exposure risks creating a pathway to addiction

Children whose parents are problem gamblers are more likely to have been bought scratchcards, according to research from the GamCare charity, which is warning that early exposure risks setting young people on a pathway to addiction in later life.

More than a third (38%) of Britons who were problem gamblers had bought scratchcards for their children, compared with 22% of those who had a low-level problem, 8% of non-problem gamblers and 5% of non-gamblers, according to a YouGov survey commissioned by GamCare, which runs the National Gambling Helpline.

Alexa Roseblade, a senior programme manager at GamCare, said scratchcards can “often be an entry point into other forms of gambling”, despite the fact they rarely account for problem gambling, with just 4% of callers to the helpline citing scratchcards.

“We regularly hear how exposure at a young age can lead to other forms of gambling in their lives. This is particularly the case if young people experience a big win from an early age, where they might want to chase the feeling of that win again through other forms,” she said.

“The YouGov data highlights that the path to a gambling problem can start much closer to home than people may realise. It shows how young people are much more likely to be exposed to items such as scratchcards if a parent is already engaged in harmful gambling, and this may normalise other forms of gambling behaviours later down the line.”

This was Jordan Penderson’s experience. He started gambling when family members would encourage him, from the age of five, to pick out horses for the Grand National, which he recalls finding “adult” and “exciting”.

By 12, his grandmother was asking him to pick lottery numbers for her, at 14 he was being bought scratchcards, by 16 he was betting on football, and at 18 he was teaching people how to place bets at bookmakers. At 20, he was an addict in £12,000 debt.

Now aged 28, he gambles recreationally, with his partner controlling his finances, and feels “in a good place”.

Despite his passion for the expertise involved in picking horses, the social side of betting on football and the thrill of a game of chance, he would never encourage his five-year-old son to play.

“If he wants to do that when he’s older, I’ll have that discussion and talk to him about the position I’ve been in. I’d rather he didn’t gamble. I’ve seen the impact on people’s lives, I’ve seen it destroy families and communities, and much as I enjoy the process of gambling, I wouldn’t recommend it and I won’t be endorsing it to my son – no way,” he said.

Penderson said his addiction had had a “lasting impact” on his life, including having to work overtime and sacrifice experiences such as holidays with friends to pay off his debt, and had left him unable to access credit, for instance to get a mortgage or buy a car on finance.

GamCare’s data is based on a survey of more than 4,000 UK adults and more than 500 14- to 15-year-olds, which showed 12% of parents had bought their children scratchcards, while a further fifth (20%) said they would consider doing so in future.

Younger parents, especially those aged 16 to 24, were significantly more likely to buy their children a scratchcard.

More than a quarter (27%) of teens aged 14 and 15 said they had played scratchcards with family members, although the most common form of gambling played with parents was in-person or online arcade games, at 29%.

One in seven (14%) parents said they had played games with their child in which they bet sweets or pennies on the outcome, a figure that jumps to nearly half (45%) of problem gamblers.

When asked how likely it was that their child would bet on sporting events when they were legally old enough to do so, 35% of parents who are problem gamblers thought it was likely, compared with 7% of non-gambling parents.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
×