Early intervention call for city's child gamblers

One in six children in Bradford aged 12 to 15 has played a fruit or slot machine, according to a survey into gambling habits.

Researchers from the Born in Bradford Age of Wonder study group gathered data from more than 7,000 school pupils across the city.

Placing private bets, such as with friends, along with playing cards for money were also common, while boys were significantly more likely than girls to have engaged in in-game spending at 73% compared with 40%.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said the findings "reinforced" the importance of its continuing prevention, education and early intervention work.

Born in Bradford's Age of Wonder project sees the health research organisation work with secondary schools and young people to gain an insight into life for teenagers growing up in the district.

The group's principal statistician Gillian Santorelli said: "Our study shows that gambling behaviours - and gambling-like features in online gaming - are already present among pupils in the early secondary school years.

"We saw broadly similar levels of reported gambling across Years 8, 9 and 10, which suggests that prevention work needs to start early."

White British pupils were nearly three times more likely to have gambled (46%) compared with Pakistani British teenagers (16%), according to the research.

More than half of pupils questioned had spent real money inside online games, with more than one in four paying for so-called "loot boxes" or similar packs.

These have been criticised due to their heavy resemblance to similar features available in gambling websites or apps.

The findings were welcomed by the Gambling-Related Harms Group led by Bradford Council.

Craig Blundred, the council's director of public health, said: "This study highlights the significant potential impact of gambling-related harms on children, young people and families.

"(It) reinforces the importance of our prevention, education and early intervention work."

Admiral Casino has three 24-hour slot machine arcades in the city centre.

Its entrance policy states customers must be aged over 18 and ID will be asked for if the person looks under 25.

Previous estimates suggested about 10,302 children in the Bradford district were living in the same household as an adult who may have gambling-related issues.

In April a public health campaign warning young people and adults about the risks of gambling was rolled out across the city.

The project - called If I Only Knew - was aimed at 18 to 34-year-olds and used insights from those recovering from addiction and their families.

It was developed by national gambling harm prevention group Chapter One in partnership with the council after a report revealed "problem" gambling had cost the city £13.7m each year.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.

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