Italy & Greece show highest levels of Teenage gambling risks

Collective research gathered across all EU states calls for authorities to understand the intertwining threats and changes to gambling harms impacting teen behaviours, in which the individual context of EU nations must be understood.

European authorities and public health organisations have been alerted to changing habits of male adolescents engaging with gambling across EU states.

The warning comes from the collective research agency ESPAD – the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs – which has published its 2024 Report on “substance use and risk behaviours among school students in the EU.”

The 2024 Report marks the eighth wave of research conducted by ESPAD since 1995, covering 37 European countries and capturing responses from more than 113,000 students aged 15–16. This extensive survey represents the largest harmonised data collection on youth substance use and risk behaviours in Europe.

The ESPAD study aims to gather comparable and standardised data to analyse trends in alcohol use, tobacco/vaping, illicit drug consumption, non-medical pharmaceutical use, social media and gaming, and gambling behaviours. 

The insights are geared toward helping public authorities, health agencies, and educational bodies design evidence-based mental health and addiction prevention strategies.

However, audiences are cautioned not to draw simplistic “like-for-like” comparisons between countries, given the varying national contexts in terms of education systems, social inequality, cultural norms, and data collection methods.

Gambling is an evolving risk

The 2024 report draws particular attention to the issue of gambling among adolescents, especially male students, framing it as a growing behavioural risk that now warrants equivalent concern to traditional substance use.

Across the 37 participating countries, 23% of students reported gambling for money in the past 12 months, with significant gender disparity – 30% of boys versus 13% of girls. This places gambling well behind alcohol and tobacco in terms of raw prevalence, but closer to substances like cannabis and vaping in terms of how many young people engage with it.

However, the depth of engagement and potential for harm is higher in gambling than in some other behaviours. 

Among those who gambled, about 5% of students overall met the criteria for problematic or excessive gambling, based on the Lie/Bet screening tool. Boys account for the vast majority of these high-risk cases, with up to 9% of male students in some countries exhibiting signs of gambling addiction.

Gambling vs other risks 

While alcohol remains the most commonly used substance among EU adolescents (73% lifetime use), and vaping is now more prevalent than traditional smoking (44% vs. 32%), gambling is increasingly seen as a digital-age addiction threat.

Unlike substances, gambling often escapes early detection and is facilitated by smartphone access, online games, and unregulated betting platforms.

The 5% problem gambling rate sits between high-risk cannabis use (around 6%) and more severe substance-related disorders, indicating that gambling deserves a priority place in youth risk-prevention policies.

Where Gambling Risk Is Highest

Countries with the highest prevalence of gambling among teens include:

  • Italy – 45%
  • Iceland – 41%
  • Greece – 36%
  • Lithuania and Cyprus – both near or above 35%

    In the above countries, land-based gambling (e.g., scratch cards, slot machines, betting shops) remains widespread, but online and mobile-based gambling is rapidly rising, particularly among male students in urban centres.

The ESPAD 2024 report findings were highlighted by Greek public health agencies as a key factor prompting the government to launch a nationwide education campaign targeting teenage gambling harms as part of a new public health strategy to combat gambling harms growing across all ages.

The campaign will focus on school outreach, digital risk awareness, and parental guidance, and will roll out in phases through 2025.

In Italy, the report’s implications coincide with the government’s broader regulatory overhaul. The upcoming Reorganisation Decree of Gambling will introduce specific laws and protections for under-18s, which will be enforced as licensing conditions for all gambling operators.

The draft legislation includes stricter ID verification rules, a ban on gambling premises near schools and educational institutions and enhanced penalties for under-18 violations.

Italy’s decree is expected to be finalised and enacted by early 2026, marking a significant shift in the country’s approach to adolescent gambling protections.

Where Gambling Is Lowest

By contrast, countries such as: Georgia (9.5%( and Sweden, Iceland, and Norway (under 15%) report the lowest levels of adolescent gambling, thanks in part to stricter regulation, stronger youth protection measures, and public awareness campaigns. 

These nations also tend to report lower rates of problem gambling, with fewer than 5% of gambling students flagged for risky behaviour.

Blurring lines of gaming and gambling

One of the most significant findings in the report is the changing form of gambling among teenagers impacting the overall engagement and perception of gambling activities.

Case in point, online gambling platforms and mobile betting apps are now more common among boys than traditional methods. ESPAD notes that around 65% of students who gamble now do so via online platforms, either exclusively or in combination with land-based gambling venues.

However, dynamics are beginning to blur due to teenagers engaging more frequently with social games and gamified loot boxes in video games, that contain similar reward mechanisms to gambling – a condition that is being scrutinised by multiple EU states.

The trend raises urgent concerns for regulators and educators, as gambling is now embedded within digital entertainment ecosystems where supervision is minimal and exposure begins early.

Youth context matters… 

2024 findings confirm that gambling, once considered a marginal issue among adolescent health risks, has emerged as a digital behavioural concern with growing addiction potential, particularly among young males.

Although still less prevalent than alcohol or vaping, its rapid digitisation, high addiction risk, and co-occurrence with other risky behaviours mean it demands the urgent attention of EU public health and education authorities.

As with all ESPAD research, these results provide guidance for evidence-based policymaking, but with a clear caution: context matters, and country-specific interpretations are essential to effective activity.

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