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A new UK Gambling Commission study has found that 13% of young people surveyed believed people their age had recently used a virtual private network to access online gambling platforms.
The figure is striking. But it does not mean that 13% of respondents had done so themselves.
That distinction sits at the heart of the Commission’s research, which examined how young people understand VPN technology and whether they see it as a possible way around online restrictions.
Yonder surveyed 1,020 people aged 11 to 17. More than three-quarters had heard of VPNs, although only 36% believed they understood how the technology worked.
Awareness increased sharply with age. Among 11- and 12-year-olds, 61% knew about VPNs. That rose to 89% among those aged 16 and 17. Boys were also more likely than girls to report awareness, at 81% compared with 70%.
Friends were the most common source of information about VPNs, followed by family members and platforms such as YouTube and TikTok.
An estimate based on what young people think others are doing
The Commission deliberately avoided asking participants whether they had personally used a VPN to gamble.
Instead, researchers used an indirect survey method. Participants were split into groups and asked about activities they believed other people their age had recently carried out. Only one group received an additional question involving VPN use to access gambling websites or apps.
The difference between the responses produced the 13% estimate.
Perceived use was higher among older teenagers, reaching 19% among 16- and 17-year-olds. It stood at just 2% among the youngest group. Among respondents already familiar with VPNs, the figure reached 20%.
The findings cannot confirm that any of those young people actually used a VPN, opened a gambling account or placed a bet.
The Commission itself acknowledged the limits of the research. The participants came from an existing online panel, while awareness and understanding of VPNs were based on self-reported answers.
VPNs do not remove gambling age checks
The study also does not point to a failure by licensed British gambling operators.
A VPN can make it appear that a user is connecting from another location, but it does not remove the age and identity verification requirements imposed on licensed remote gambling businesses in Britain. Operators must verify a customer’s age before allowing access to gambling, deposits or free-to-play products.
There is therefore no evidence in the research that UK-licensed sites are allowing children to gamble through VPNs.
The larger issue lies elsewhere. A VPN may help users reach illegal or unregulated websites that operate outside British licensing rules and may not apply the same age checks or consumer protections.
The research was commissioned as new age-assurance measures came into force under the Online Safety Act. Gambling is not listed as a designated priority area under that legislation, but the Commission wanted to examine whether young people saw VPNs as a tool for bypassing online safeguards.
For now, the study offers an indication of perceived behaviour rather than evidence of widespread underage gambling through VPNs.
That difference matters. The 13% figure may point to a growing awareness of how location-hiding technology can be used online, but the research stops well short of proving how many young people are actually using it to gamble.
Source: www.casino.com
