Recollected usage of legal youth gambling products: Comparisons between adult gamblers and non-gamblers in the UK and Australia

TY - JOUR

T1 - Recollected usage of legal youth gambling products

T2 - Comparisons between adult gamblers and non-gamblers in the UK and Australia

AU - Newall, Philip W.S.

AU - Russell, Alex M.T.

AU - Sharman, Steve

AU - Walasek, Lukasz

N1 - Funding Information: This research was funded by a Research Development Fund awarded to Lukasz Walasek from the University of Warwick. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2021/3

Y1 - 2021/3

N2 - The UK is rare in allowing a number of gambling forms to be used legally by children under the age of 18. Some previous research indicates that adult problem gamblers are more likely to recollect using these products as children. However, no research has as yet assessed recollected levels of use irrespective of adult gambling status, or investigated these issues in other countries. This is relevant given that at least two of the tested products, coin push machines and crane grab machines, exist in other countries. The present research involves cross-sectional surveys conducted amongst UK (N = 2010) and Australian adults (N = 640), associating recollected legal youth gambling usage with past 12-month gambling, and levels of problem gambling amongst adult gamblers. Adult gamblers recollected using more legal youth gambling products than non-gamblers. For example, 66.6% of UK gamblers reported legally buying National Lottery tickets aged 16–17, compared to 20.9% of UK non-gamblers; 60.8% of Australian gamblers reported using coin push machines as a child, compared to 48.6% of Australian non-gamblers. Overall, 18 of 19 tested associations were significant and in the hypothesized direction for the UK sample, compared to five of eight for the Australian sample. The legal provision of gambling to children is a topic for further international research and policy consideration.

AB - The UK is rare in allowing a number of gambling forms to be used legally by children under the age of 18. Some previous research indicates that adult problem gamblers are more likely to recollect using these products as children. However, no research has as yet assessed recollected levels of use irrespective of adult gambling status, or investigated these issues in other countries. This is relevant given that at least two of the tested products, coin push machines and crane grab machines, exist in other countries. The present research involves cross-sectional surveys conducted amongst UK (N = 2010) and Australian adults (N = 640), associating recollected legal youth gambling usage with past 12-month gambling, and levels of problem gambling amongst adult gamblers. Adult gamblers recollected using more legal youth gambling products than non-gamblers. For example, 66.6% of UK gamblers reported legally buying National Lottery tickets aged 16–17, compared to 20.9% of UK non-gamblers; 60.8% of Australian gamblers reported using coin push machines as a child, compared to 48.6% of Australian non-gamblers. Overall, 18 of 19 tested associations were significant and in the hypothesized direction for the UK sample, compared to five of eight for the Australian sample. The legal provision of gambling to children is a topic for further international research and policy consideration.

KW - Adolescent gambling

KW - Child gambling

KW - Problem gambling

KW - Underage gambling

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85094145325&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106685

DO - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106685

M3 - Article

C2 - 33268183

AN - SCOPUS:85094145325

SN - 0306-4603

VL - 114

JO - Addictive Behaviors

JF - Addictive Behaviors

M1 - 106685

ER -