Youth Gambling Starts Early: Nearly Half Begin at Age 12.5 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 adolescents who have experienced gambling were first exposed to gambling during their elementary school years, according to a recent survey.

On September 26, Assemblywoman Im Ohkyung of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea, released findings from the "2025 Youth Gambling Survey" submitted by the Korea Center on Gambling Problems. According to this survey, the average age at which adolescents first experienced gambling was 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

In detail, 14.0% of respondents said their first gambling experience occurred at age 9 or younger, while 33.1% reported experiencing it between the ages of 10 and 12. Combined, these two age groups account for 47.1%, meaning that nearly one out of every two adolescents who have experienced gambling were first exposed during their elementary school years.

Even among adolescents who continued gambling after their initial experience, the risk was higher among younger age groups. In the past six months, 22.6% of elementary school students reported continuing to gamble, a higher rate than that of middle school students (20.2%) and high school students (15.9%). This suggests that gambling behavior is being repeated at a young age, not just as a result of curiosity or a one-time experience.

This same age-related issue had previously been identified in data submitted on September 21 by Assemblyman Yoon Yongkeun of the People Power Party, also on the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, which included reports from the National Gambling Control Commission. According to those materials, the number of adolescents under 19 who received treatment or counseling for gambling problems last year was 5,838, a 40.9% increase from 2024. Of these cases, illegal online gambling accounted for 57.7%.

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Although preventive education programs have been expanded, calls have been made to evaluate their effectiveness. The number of gambling prevention education sessions for elementary school students increased by approximately 60%, from 9,494 sessions in 2024 to 15,161 last year. However, the number of students who completed the program actually decreased, from about 744,000 to 738,000 during the same period. Among students who said the prevention education was ineffective, 59.9% cited "the lessons are the same every year" as the reason.

Assemblywoman Im emphasized, "It is necessary to review the performance management system of prevention policies so that not only the number of sessions and participants, but also real changes in adolescents’ awareness and behavior related to gambling can be assessed." Assemblyman Yoon also stated, "A comprehensive, nationwide strategy is needed to address the issue of youth gambling."

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