Researchers in Italy and Germany reported a six-week course of high-frequency brain stimulation dramatically reduced gambling cravings and symptoms in a patient with severe gambling disorder – suggesting the therapy could work as a standalone, first-line treatment when medication or psychotherapy aren’t used. Why it matters: Gambling disorder has no standardized treatment and…
Concerns over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in gambling-related research have intensified after politicians and academics raised questions about an evidence review used to support a AU$20m (£10.4m) funding request for youth gambling education in Australia.
Independent Senator David Pocock, a longtime advocate for gambling reform in Australia, said he was “deeply concerned” about the report circulated by the OurFutures Institute. The MP blasted the research, telling officials it “appears to just be slop written by AI”.
He added that the document was “full of AI hallucinations, including references to studies that don’t exist and statements presented as facts that are completely false or grossly exaggerated”.
Analysis of the review by Guardian Australia found at least 21 problematic references, including broken links, citations to papers that do not exist and claims unsupported by the research cited.
In one example, the review claimed a government inquiry found “every $1 i..
Benchmarking player protection across Africa Across Africa, gambling regulation and player protection are evolving at pace. New laws, emerging regulators, and growing political focus have placed safer gambling firmly on the agenda. Yet progress is uneven. While some markets are moving quickly toward modern frameworks, others remain constrained by unclear rules, limited enforcement, and the…
European and Nordic authorities require an expanded capacity and greater regulatory coordination to understand the black market on online gambling, an academic review claims.
This advice leads the findings of a ‘scoping review’ published in PLOS One, noting that current efforts to measure the size and scope of offshore gambling markets across Nordic jurisdictions are marred by data gaps, unclear methodologies that can lead to political fallouts.
Conducted by researchers from universities and public health institutes in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, the review covered 32 studies between 2010 and 2024.
As independent researchers, the team found that “there is no gold standard or one reliable method to conclusively measure offshore gambling.”
Instead, the authors conclude that “methodological choices, data resources that have been used, and political interests can have an effect on the kinds of estimates that are produced.”
The report observes that most estimates, whether reported by governments, regulators, or industry groups, are derived from a single source.
This source is H2 Gambling Capital, a private data provider widely cited by the regulated industry, but which the Nordic academics believe has limited transparency.
“A significant part of studies included in this review made use of data from H2 gambling capital,” the authors write, “even regulators are not fully aware of metrics and assumptions based on which these estimates are made.”
The study’s authors — Virve Marionneau (University of Helsinki), Søren Kristiansen (Aalborg University), Tomi Roukka (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare), and Håkan Wall (Karolinska Institute) — observe that offshore gambling is “a politically sensitive topic wrought with uncertainties.”
Academics question offshore argument
The problem is not merely academic. The study observed that “offshore estimates are likely to be political tools.”
The authors highlight how the gambling industry, in particular, has “actively attempted to control the narrative over channelling rates within the Nordic countries,” often by releasing their own studies showing rising offshore participation to resist tighter regulation.
One Swedish report included in the review assumed that users of unlicensed websites spend 10–20 times more than those on legal platforms — a bold figure for which the researchers found “no empirical basis nor conclusive descriptions on how these were determined.”
Such assumptions, the authors suggest, can significantly skew perceptions of the so-called black market, inflating its threat.
“Industry-produced estimates of offshore gambling may be higher than government-produced figures,” the authors write.
They note that “these estimates diverged from governmental estimates” due in part to differing methodologies, and caution against letting such figures shape policy uncritically.
“Evidence-based policy should not be based on methodologically ambiguous evidence or estimates that lack transparency.”
The researchers also warn against viewing offshore and onshore markets as entirely distinct. “Offshore gambling is therefore not a separate market segment from onshore gambling,” the report explains.
A large portion of users participate in both. In Finland, for instance, “98% of individuals reporting offshore gambling also gamble within the regulated market,” with around 37% of their total gambling spending still occurring onshore.
Product types also matter. “Offshore consumption typically consists of the most harmful gambling products, including fast-paced online casino products and betting (including live betting),” the authors write, adding that these activities are overrepresented in gambling harm statistics.
More light needed on black market
The academics note that the mere presence of the fast-paced products discussed above on black market platforms has frequently been used to justify their availability within regulated systems — despite the risks being the same.
In terms of solutions, the research team makes several modest but clear recommendations. Chief among them is the need for “a transparent and scientifically validated measurement tool” to improve the evidence base.
They urge a “multi-method analysis,” combining population surveys, transaction data, and other indicators, including help-seeking statistics. Bank data, while legally sensitive, “could provide additional insight,” the report says, and could be technically feasible given the existing role of banks in payment blocking systems.
Ultimately, the report delivers a sober message: the offshore gambling debate is currently shaped more by assumptions than evidence.
“Despite the political importance of channeling,” the authors note, “it is surprisingly unclear how and if we can measure developments in the unregulated market.”
Until that changes, European regulators may continue to base major decisions on data that is partial, outdated—or simply invented.
Almost half of Britons would like to see the gambling industry shrink, according to new research commissioned by anti-gambling pressure group the Coalition to End Gambling Advertising, and a clear majority support tightened regulation. Context: The research was conducted by the think tank More in Common and funded by the Coalition to End Gambling Advertising,…
A new research paper highlights the narrative gap between academic research and media sensationalism around the gambling industry and gambling harm, which is leading to moral panic and regressive policy responses. The report from Gambling Public Policy Consulting, ‘Addressing the Narrative Gap: Investigating Media Coverage vs. Empirical Evidence on Gambling’, serves as a warning to…
Escapism emerges as a central but previously overlooked driver of gambling, according to new international research that challenges long-standing assumptions about why people place bets. A study from researchers in Australia, Canada, Gibraltar and Hungary has found that gambling to escape from reality, stress or negative emotions is one of the strongest motivations linked to…
New research reveals large language models can exhibit human-like gambling addiction behaviours and shows they even possess internal “risk circuits” that can drive them toward bankruptcy. A new study from South Korea’s Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology presents the strongest evidence to date that popular large language models (LLMs) – including GPT-4o-mini, GPT-4.1-mini, Gemini-2.5-Flash,…
Gambling exposure among young people in the UK is increasing, but the percentage of those experiencing problem gambling is “statistically stable” in comparison to the previous year.
This is the opinion of the UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) Director of Research and Policy, Tim Miller, in response to the Young People and Gambling Report 2025, the annual study that examines the full scope of young people’s gambling exposure, including games that aren’t restricted to over-18s.
He added that the data supports the UKGC’s efforts to continue strengthening protections for young people against gambling harm, as operators in the UK market must have robust protections in place to prevent children from accessing age-restricted products.
The vast majority of gambling activities that young people spend money on are legal or not age-restricted, such as arcade gaming machines, as well as bets and games with friends and family.
Strengthening understanding
“Each year this report further strengthens understanding of the relationship between young people and gambling,” stated Miller.
“We have seen an increase in participation in gambling – 27% in 2024 compared to 30% in 2025. The research shows that it is not children being encouraged or allowed to gamble underage driving this increase – it is the increased participation in gambling that is either legal or does not require regulation, such as private betting between friends.
“Even with that increased participation, the percentage of those scoring four or more on the youth-adapted problem gambling screen has not increased but has moved from 1.5% last year to 1.2% this year, which is classed as statistically stable.
“Where it relates to regulated forms of gambling, we use the data to continuously keep under review and, where needed, strengthen the suite of protections for young people that we require gambling companies to have in place.”
Produced by Ipsos, the research was conducted in schools with pupils completing an online self-completion survey. In total, 3,666 11 to 17-year-olds attending academies, maintained and independent schools in England, Scotland and Wales took part in this year’s survey.
Increased participation
The UKGC said that the key findings from the survey showed that over the last 12 months, 49% of 11 to 17-year-olds have experienced gambling, while 30% of 11 to 17-year-olds are spending their own money on gambling.
In addition, 1.2% of those surveyed are scoring four or more on the youth-adapted problem gambling screen (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition – Multiple Response Juvenile), down slightly from 1.5% in 2024.
Of those surveyed, the percentage of young people scoring a two or three on the screening and therefore experiencing ‘at-risk’ gambling was 2.2%, up slightly from 1.9% the previous year. 27% scored zero or one and therefore weren’t experiencing ‘problems’ with their gambling.
The survey also stated that:
Arcade gaming machines, such as penny pusher or claw grab machines, were played by 21%, 14% placed a bet for money between friends or family, while 5% played cards with friends or family for money.
23% spent their own money on regulated forms of gambling in the past 12 months, including playing arcade gaming machines. With arcade machines removed, this figure drops to 6%, which the UKGC says is stable compared to 2024.
78% who gambled with their own money in the last year did so because they find it ‘fun’.
Young people are more likely to see gambling-related advertisements weekly online, rather than offline, with 49% responding that they saw adverts through social media and 47% saying via apps. Of the people who saw content on social media, 31% said influencers had advertised gambling-related content.
Boys were more likely to see gambling-related advertisements than girls across platforms, including YouTube (53% boys, 31% girls) and at sports events (57% boys, 37% girls).
29% had seen family members they live with gamble. Of which, 7% said it caused arguments or tension at home, while 9% said it helped to pay for things at home.
The UKGC is also broadening its research into early gambling experiences and gateway products, exploring the gambling-like activities – such as loot boxes, social gaming, prize draws – that children, young people and young adults may first encounter and how these experiences could shape their future engagement with gambling.
GambleAware has reported that more than five million people in the UK want to reduce or stop gambling altogether. Yet the headline figure appears loosely benchmarked against national population estimates.
The charity has used its annual Treatment and Support survey as a basis, which was conducted by YouGov over November and December 2024.
In total, the surveyed amounted to a total of 17,933 people, of which six in ten adults (60.8%) reported to have gambled at least once in the last 12 months at the time of the study.
Furthermore, the YouGov findings highlighted that one in six (16%) of those 60.8% reported that they want to either reduce or quit gambling entirely.
GambleAware’s estimate is based on extrapolated findings from a pool of 17,933 respondents against 2024 population figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a method that raises questions about the accuracy of its portrayal of public attitudes to gambling.
ONS figures showcased that the total UK adult population stood at 53.5 million people. GambleAware has taken that and multiplied it by the 60.8% figure from the YouGov study, loosely highlighting that 32.5 million people gambled in the 12 months before the study was conducted.
That 32.5 million estimate was then multiplied by the previously mentioned 16%, resulting in around 5.3 million people who want to either quit or reduce their gambling.
Again, these figures are purely speculative, with GambleAware imposing the results from a survey pool of 17,933 people over the total UK population of 53.5 million as per official ONS estimates.
What the survey actually says
Examining the survey alone, YouGov highlighted that 80% of the total respondents who gambled in the last 12 months were happy with their current gambling habits.
Of that total, 62% were confident that they do not gamble very much, while 44% saw no need to reduce or quit gambling as they have not experienced any negative consequences. Additionally, one in five (20%) said they viewed gambling as fun, while 9% saw no gains from reducing or quitting.
“The qualitative data shows that the main reasons for participants not wanting to make changes to their gambling were because they felt that their gambling was under control, or because they perceived it as a fun activity and enjoyed the occasional wins, alongside the potential of ‘a big win’,” the report said.
“This was even the case among those who had previously experienced ‘problem gambling’, where people preferred having clear limits and better control over how much they gamble, as opposed to wanting to reduce or stop altogether.”
GambleAware to provide needs until final day…
GambleAware has historically been the commissioner of gambling harm education, prevention and treatment across Great Britain, but will close its doors in March next year.
The decision to close down the Charity and its twenty years of services is due to the new statutory levy introduced by the UK government that appointed three new commissioners across England, Scotland and Wales.
Until its closure, the charity will remain fully active and ready to deliver the necessary support for those experiencing gambling harm, with services like its support finder or spend calculator expected to remain operational until GambleAware’s shutdown in March.