Gambling practices in 2022 among 17-year-olds

An analysis of the results of the 2022 ESCAPAD survey

The Survey on Health and Drug Use on National Defence and Citizenship Day (ESCAPAD) developed by OFDT, has been conducted with all 17-year-olds participating in National defence and citizenship day (JDC). The survey incorporated a module of questions on the subject of gambling for the first time in 2011, which was then reused in the 2017 and 2022 surveys, thus illustrating how gambling has developed among adolescents over the last decade. Following the initial publication of the main results in autumn 2023, which focused mainly on highlighting the major developments in gambling practices occurring during the period 2011-2022, this briefing paper gives a detailed analysis of gamblers in 2022.

Diverse practices, problematic uses

Gambling rates vary greatly depending on the type of game, weekly gambling remains limited and mainly applies to sports betting. A tendency to underestimate losses and/or overestimate wins: almost half of sports betters believe that they are making a profit. Significant differences in gambling use emerge according to gender and education status: young men play more throughout the year, and there is a lower prevalence of gambling throughout the year among pupils in general or technical education. Around 1 in 10 gamblers per year may be at risk. Weekly gambling and sports betting are among the main risk factors for problem gambling.