A child or young person I know needs help with…
Gambling-related harm

What is gambling?
Gambling means risking the loss of money or something of value on an activity where the outcome is uncertain – when there is no guarantee that you will win.
Casinos, scratch cards, bingo, fruit machines, sports betting, and the lottery are all kinds of gambling. By law, you have to be 18 or older to take part in these activities, but sometimes younger people do get drawn into gambling. Some activities in gaming – like loot boxes – can lead to harmful gambling too.
What is the impact of gambling?
Gambling-related harms are all of the ways that gambling can have a negative impact on a child or young person’s physical and mental health, their relationships with family and friends, how much money they have, or their school/college work or their job.
Harms can be experienced by the person that gambles, or by the family, friends, and colleagues of someone who gambles. We call these people ‘affected others’.
Some of the signs of harm in children and young people include:
- Having less time or money to spend on things they enjoy
- Having reduced savings for big items such as university, holidays, or a first car
- Increased use of alcohol or drugs
- Taking a lot of sick days or days off, or missing extra-curricular commitments due to time spent gambling
- Relationship problems, or being isolated
How might it affect a child or young person’s mental health?
Gambling can affect a child’s mental health in many ways. You might find that a child or young person chooses to gamble to escape from things that are worrying them, or from other difficult feelings. Here are some of the ways gambling might affect a child’s mental health:
- Showing signs of withdrawal and lack of interest in the activities they normally enjoy e.g. sports, arts, music, spending time with friends.
- Grades slipping at school or college or finding it harder to concentrate in lessons
- Feeling worried or upset for no reason
- Getting quickly frustrated
- Feeling hopeless and worried about the future
- Finding it difficult to unwind, relax or sleep well
- Forgetting to eat well or look after their physical health because they’re worrying about gambling
You might start to notice these effects before you realise the financial impacts.
Talking to a child or young person about gambling and gambling-related harm
- Professionals working with young people can play a vital role in recognising when a child or young person is at risk of gambling-related harm.
- If a child is worried about spending too much time or money on gambling activities, there are a number of advice and treatment services available. Support is available for young people and for adults – both for their own gambling and if they are affected by someone else’s gambling.
- Learn about the support services available. A list of advice and treatment services for gamblers and affected others can be found in the list below.
- Take time to educate yourself on the risk factors and signs of gambling-related harm. Understand the types of gambling that children and young people may participate in, particularly online, and understand how they work.
- If you plan to have a conversation about gambling with a child or young person, make sure to create a safe space where they can feel free of judgment.
- Be open and honest and encourage the young person to do the same.
- There are resources and conversation starters available from Big Deal, Gam Care’s website dedicated to young people, to help you have a helpful and meaningful conversation with a child or young person about gambling.
What if a child’s parent or carer is gambling?
If a parent/carer is experiencing gambling-related harm, the young person might also be affected. A parent or carer experiencing the effects of gambling-related harm might have less money to buy essential things for their family such as food or clothing or might struggle to pay bills. Children might notice that their parent/carer is distracted, secretive, short-tempered or more susceptible to mood swings.
It is important as a professional to let a young person know that there is support available for them as an affected person and that speaking to someone won’t get their parent/carer into trouble.
Get Help Now!
Here are a list of services that can help. The icons below tell you the type of support available.

Big Deal Gambling Support

National Gambling Clinic
Which services can I access?
Some of the services available operate only within city or the wider county area. Pop your postcode in below to quickly check which services are available to you