More European teenagers may be gambling even as fewer are drinking, smoking and doing drugs, and there appears to be a growing problem of 11-year-olds running wild in UK casinos. 

The latest European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) queried nearly 100k students aged 15-16 years old in 35 countries — but not the UK — regarding their indulgence last year in a variety of vices, such as alcohol, drugs and other potentially addictive behaviors, including gambling. 

Overall, the report found slow but steady declines in smoking, drinking (particularly binge drinking) and illicit drug use, but around 22% of students gambled in some form in 2019, up from 14% in 2015. That said, the authors note that changes in the phrasing of gambling-related questions make for difficult comparisons with the previous survey. 

Lotteries remain the dominant form of teen gambling at 49% participation, followed by sports or race betting (45%), cards or dice (44%) and slot machines (21%). A much smaller number (7.9%) reported having gambled online last year.