Nearly Half Experience Gambling by Age 12.5... Youth Gambling Starts in Elementary School

47.1% of Adolescents Experienced Gambling at Age 12 or Younger
Higher Rate of Continued Gambling Among Elementary Students Compared to Middle and High Schoolers
Increase in Prevention Programs, but Lack of Follow-up Evaluation Raised

Nearly half of the teenagers who have experienced gambling were first exposed to it during their elementary school years.

According to the "2025 Survey on Youth Gambling" submitted by the Korea Center on Gambling Problems to Assemblywoman Ohkyung Lim of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee on September 26, the average age at which teenagers had their first gambling experience was calculated at 12.5 years old.

Nearly half of the adolescents who have experienced gambling were first exposed to gambling during their elementary school years. Getty Images

By age group, 14.0% answered that they were first exposed to gambling at the age of 9 or younger, while 33.1% said they were exposed between the ages of 10 and 12. Combined, this totals 47.1%, indicating that nearly one in two teenagers with gambling experience were first introduced to gambling during their elementary school years.

Among teenagers who continued to gamble after their initial exposure, the risk was particularly pronounced in the younger age groups. Over the past six months, the percentage who responded that they had continued gambling was 22.6% among elementary school students, higher than the 20.2% for middle school students and 15.9% for high school students. This suggests that for some, gambling behavior does not stop at mere curiosity or a one-time experience but is instead repeated even at a young age.

A similar age-related issue was identified in materials previously submitted by the Gambling Industry Supervisory Commission and others to Assemblyman Yongkeun Yoon of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee on September 21. According to the data, 5,838 teenagers aged 19 or younger received treatment or counseling for gambling problems last year—a 40.9% increase compared to 2024. Among these cases, illegal online gambling accounted for 57.7%.

The photo is not directly related to the content of the article. Pixabay

Although preventive education programs have been expanded, concerns have been raised regarding their effectiveness. The number of gambling prevention education sessions for elementary school students increased by about 60%, from 9,494 sessions in 2024 to 15,161 last year. However, the number of participants actually decreased during this period, from approximately 744,000 to 738,000. Among students who answered that the education was not effective, 59.9% cited "the content is the same every year" as the reason.

Assemblywoman Lim emphasized, "We need to evaluate not only the number of preventive education sessions and participants, but also whether there has been a real change in teenagers' awareness and behaviors regarding gambling, by inspecting the performance management system of preventive policies." Assemblyman Yoon also stated, "A comprehensive national-level response to the problem of youth gambling is necessary."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.