UKGC Lacks Local Youth Gambling Data
FOI response shows regulator does not hold borough-level statistics on underage gambling, raising questions for local public health efforts.
A Freedom of Information request has revealed the UK Gambling Commission does not hold local data on youth gambling. The response highlights a significant data gap, making it difficult for local authorities and public health bodies to track and prevent underage gambling harm effectively.
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Key Finding: No Local Data on Underage Gambling
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) does not collect or hold localised data on youth gambling. The response highlights a significant gap in the monitoring of underage gambling activity and harm at a community level, which could impact the effectiveness of local prevention strategies.
Context: Why Local Data Matters
For consumers, parents, and local authorities, understanding the specific risks in their community is crucial for safeguarding young people. Without borough-level statistics, it is difficult to identify emerging trends, allocate resources effectively, or tailor prevention strategies to the unique demographics of an area. This data gap presents a challenge for public health bodies tasked with reducing gambling-related harm.
Details of the Request
The FOI request, submitted on 3 March 2025, asked for a wide range of specific information concerning the London Borough of Enfield. The queries aimed to build a detailed picture of underage gambling in the area, including:
- Prevalence: The percentage of 11-17-year-olds in Enfield who had gambled in the past 12 months.
- Financial Impact: The estimated amount of money spent by underage gamblers in the borough.
- Interventions: Details of any local programmes aimed at preventing youth gambling.
- Related Harm: Statistics on mental health issues or family problems linked to youth gambling in the area.
- Demographics: Data on the prevalence of gambling among young people from migrant communities.
In its official response, the UKGC stated: "the data is not available at a local level... As such, no information at the level of detail you have requested is held by the Commission."
The regulator pointed the requester towards its national-level 'Young People and Gambling' report, which provides data broken down by England, Scotland, and Wales, but not by individual local authorities.
Significance: A Blind Spot for Local Intervention
The UKGC's inability to provide this information underscores a critical data void. While national surveys provide a valuable overview, the absence of local data means that specific hotspots or emerging problems within a town or city may go undetected by the national regulator.
This leaves local councils, schools, and health services without the specific evidence needed to design and measure the impact of targeted interventions. For organisations working to prevent gambling harm among children, this lack of granular data makes it significantly harder to demonstrate need, secure funding, and prove the effectiveness of their work on a local scale.