The Role of Parents in Youth Gambling

About the study

This study by CQUniversity surveyed parents of young people aged 12 to 17 years in NSW to better understand:

• attitudes and behaviours towards gambling in vulnerable or target groups, and 
• what works in prevention and harm minimisation. 

The methodology

An online survey of 1,185 parents who were the primary caregiver of an adolescent 12 to 17 years was conducted from 27 May 2022 to 14 June 2022. The survey covered:  

• parents’ views on adolescent gambling, and gambling generally
• parents and adolescent’s participation in monetary gambling, simulated gambling, and adolescent problem gambling
• risks and protective factors that can influence adolescent gambling
• parental preferences for how to receive information on adolescent gambling.

Key findings

Overall, the findings suggest that any prevention or education efforts to address adolescent gambling should target fathers (particularly fathers who gamble) and parents who engage in behaviours that actively facilitate adolescent gambling. Key findings include:

• Of the 947 parents who had gambled in the past 12 months, most reported that their adolescent was present with them when they had gambled (68.4%).
• Parental facilitation of adolescent gambling was the strongest predictor of adolescent gambling participation and gambling problems.
• Parents tended to be less concerned about adolescent gambling and less likely to have had conversations with the adolescent about gambling and gambling-like games in comparison to other issues. 
• Around a quarter of parents (27.1%) reported that their adolescent had participated in at least one form of gambling during the past 12 months. 
• Parents prefer low intensity, easily accessible and self-directed delivery options when accessing information about adolescents and gambling. 

Findings from this research will inform the education and awareness work of the Office of Responsible Gambling, particularly the content and targeting of additional resources for parents. 

Suggested citation

Dittman, C. K., Gossner, M., Hing, N., Rockloff, M. J., Browne, M., Russell, A. M. T. & Lole, L. (2023). The Role of Parents in Youth Gambling. Sydney, Australia: Office of Responsible Gambling.