Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in youth gambling participation, including the rise in unregulated gambling reported in the Young People and Gambling Survey 2025; and what further protections they will put in place for those aged 11–17.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Young People and Gambling Survey 2025 identified an increase in youth participation in gambling from 27% to 30% compared to the previous year. This appears to have been driven by an increase in unregulated betting, such as between friends and family (from 15% to 18%).
As part of the gambling statutory levy, we have committed 20% to gambling harm research, which may include assessments of youth gambling participation. This is alongside 30% of levy funding for prevention activities, commissioned by the Office for Health Inequalities and Disparities (OHID), which may include education or awareness raising programmes to help protect those aged 11-17 from gambling related harm. We will continue to monitor the best available evidence when considering possible policy interventions under regulations as set out in the Gambling Act 2005.
Asked by: Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the impact of gambling sponsorship in sport on young people; and whether they plan to further restrict that sponsorship.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to strengthening protections to protect young people from gambling-related harm. We are clear that wherever gambling advertising and sponsorship appears, it must be socially responsible. All major sports have published their gambling sponsorship Codes of Conduct which sets minimum standards for gambling sponsorships to ensure these arrangements are socially responsible. Additionally, the Premier League’s decision to ban front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling firms will start at the beginning of the 2026/27 season.
We are working closely with sports bodies to review the implementation and impact of the Codes of Conduct to ensure they have meaningful impact and to inform the most appropriate next steps for gambling sponsorship.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to safeguard children and young people from gambling, including in later life, through the regulation of advertising, marketing and product design.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
There are already a wide variety of measures in place to protect children and young people from being exposed to gambling advertising, marketing and products.
For example, gambling advertising must not be targeted at children, through ensuring that it does not appear in media created for children or for which children make up 25% or more of the audience. In May last year, we introduced a £2 maximum stake limit on online slots for 18-24 year olds, who can be particularly vulnerable to harms associated with high stakes play. We also welcome the commencement of the Premier League’s ban on front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling firms by the end of the 2025/26 season.
However, we recognise that children and young people’s exposure to gambling is an important issue. We remain committed to strengthening measures to protect those at risk of gambling harm and will continue to work with industry and gambling harm campaigners. We will also redouble our efforts to work across government and with tech platforms to address illegal gambling advertising, which poses the most risk for children and young people.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with Ofcom regarding the regulation of gambling content and advertising online for young people, including the interaction of those regulations with the framework set out in the Online Safety Act 2023.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Gambling is regulated by the Gambling Commission under the Gambling Act 2005. Rules on gambling advertising content are regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority. Gambling advertising is not covered under the Online Safety Act, and as such no discussions with Ofcom have taken place.
The Government recognises that more work needs to be done to ensure that gambling advertising does not exacerbate harm. We engage regularly with stakeholders across government and with industry, to ensure the most vulnerable are protected.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what comparative assessment her Department has made of (a) loot boxes in video games and (b) gambling products; and what steps she is taking to mitigate potential harms associated with loot box mechanics, particularly for children and young people.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is committed to ensuring games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone and that, where they contain loot boxes, there are appropriate protections in place.
Prizes that can be won via loot boxes do not have a monetary value, cannot be cashed-out, and are of value only within the context of the game. They are therefore not legally classified as gambling. However, evidence has shown an association between loot boxes and gambling-related harm.
To improve protections in games containing loot boxes, industry-led guidance was published in 2023 with a 12-month implementation period, after which DCMS commissioned independent academic research into its effectiveness. We will publish the research shortly, alongside our next steps.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on gambling-like features in video games, including loot boxes and in-game spending, as part of online safety education.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) supports children and young people to manage risk and make informed decisions in relation to their mental wellbeing and online behaviour.
The updated RSHE statutory guidance is clear that children and young people should be taught the risks relating to online gaming, video game monetisation, scams, fraud and other financial harms, and that gaming can become addictive.
Curriculum content also includes the risks related to online gambling and gambling-like content within gaming, including the accumulation of debt.
The departments online safety guidance covers how to teach about all aspects of internet safety and includes content on gaming and gambling, and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools.
As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools have flexibility over how they deliver important topics and use their autonomy and local community knowledge to do this.
Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of gambling advertisements on children and young people; and whether she plans to introduce legislative measures to restrict or ban gambling marketing and sponsorship.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
All operators advertising in the UK must comply with robust advertising codes, which are enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) independently of Government. These codes are regularly reviewed and updated and include a wide range of provisions designed to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm.
The Government does not currently have plans to ban gambling advertising. However, we recognise that children and young people’s exposure to gambling advertising is an important issue and we continue to work closely with the gambling industry to further strengthen protections.
We have welcomed the Premier League’s voluntary front of shirt ban on gambling advertisements from next season, which will reduce gambling exposure for children and young people. Additionally, we will redouble our efforts to work cross-government and with tech platforms to address illegal gambling advertising, which poses the most risk for children and young people.
Asked by: Gill German (Labour - Clwyd North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of of surveys by More in Common for the Campaign to End Gambling Advertising showing 70% support tougher curbs on gambling advertising and 27% saying gambling companies should not promote themselves at all; what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the 9pm watershed and other gambling advertising restrictions in protecting children and vulnerable people on television, social media, and digital platforms, in this context; and whether she plans to introduce statutory watershed protections or other measures to reduce exposure and harm.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We note that More in Common’s recent report “Ending a Losing Streak” provides an overview of the British public’s views regarding gambling advertising, particularly for children and young people. We also note that statistics from the 2025 Young People and Gambling survey demonstrates that the overall proportion of young people who recalled having seen gambling adverts or promotion weekly was consistent with 2024. We consider evidence from a wide range of sources, including the statistics in both reports, when considering the impact of gambling advertising on children and young people.
We are not considering the introduction of a statutory watershed at this time. However, we recognise that children and young people’s exposure to gambling advertising is an important issue and keep all areas of gambling policy under review. We will redouble our efforts to work cross-government and with tech platforms to address illegal gambling advertising, which poses the most risk for children and vulnerable people.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of current regulatory protections, such as age verification and advertising restrictions, in preventing gambling among young people.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
All gambling operators in the UK must comply with robust advertising codes, which are enforced by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) independently of Government. These codes apply across all advertising platforms, including broadcast, online and social media. The codes are regularly reviewed and updated and include a wide range of provisions designed to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm. DCMS regularly engages with the ASA to discuss these changes and the impact of the regulations.
In addition, all operators in the UK are required to comply with the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, which includes new provisions relating to direct marketing and socially responsible promotions and bonuses. The impact of these measures will be assessed in due course.
We are also working with colleagues across Government and other regulators to assess the effectiveness of age assurance tools on online platforms. We are considering a wide range of evidence to ensure children are best protected from gambling related harm.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the risk of skin gambling on young people.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Unlicensed skins gambling websites operate illegally outside of the video game ecosystem. Earlier this year, we commissioned independent research to better understand skins gambling and its impact on children and young people. The resulting rapid evidence review on skins gambling was published in September. This review and its conclusions will form part of our consideration when determining what future policy changes may be needed around how to best protect children and young people from skins gambling related harms.