While putting a few quid on Liverpool to beat Chelsea may seem like harmless fun, gambling can quickly turn into an addiction.
Compulsive gambling may not affect every punter, but it is becoming a growing issue in the UK where almost 1.4 million people are believed to be problem gamblers.
Let’s take a look at some more alarming gambling addiction statistics from the UK.
Top 10 Statistics on Gambling Addiction in the UK
- 1.4 million people in the UK are believed to be problem gamblers.
- Around 7% of UK adults have been negatively affected by someone else’s gambling problem.
- Harmful gambling costs the country £1.27 billion yearly.
- 2 million students in Britain gamble while at university.
- 1.7% of 11 to 16-year olds in the UK are classified as problem gamblers.
- Over half of problem gamblers in treatment played online.
- Just 3% of problem gamblers in the UK get help.
- 40% of those who completed the treatment program were still classified as problem gamblers.
- 40,000 people registered for self-exclusion with GAMSTOP in the first 6 months of 2021.
- 20% of people with a gambling problem admitted to gambling more during the pandemic.
Gambling Addiction in the UK Statistics and Facts
1. 1.4 million people in the UK are believed to be problem gamblers.
(The Guardian)
This translates to about 2.7% of all UK adults, a survey by YouGov has found. On the other hand, the UK Gambling Commission believes the 2.7% figure to be an overestimate and puts the number closer to 0.7% of the population. This, though lower, is still quite disturbing, especially considering that an estimated 45% of UK residents gamble in some way every month.
2. Around 7% of UK adults have been negatively affected by someone else’s gambling problem.
(The Guardian)
As many as 3.6 million people stated that the gambling habits of another person has adversely affected their lives. Moreover, about 5 million Brits are believed to have experienced harm in connection to gambling, including problem gamblers and their families, partners and associates.
3. 35.3% of sports bettors think they are profitable.
(Beating Betting)
This figure goes up to 41.24% of those who place regular bets.
What’s more, 45.4% of the bettors interviewed bet in-play and were two times more likely to think they had made a profit than those who didn’t make live bets.
More gambling addiction UK statistics reveal that 20.9% of bettors that deemed themselves un-profitable said they had lost hundreds, whereas 8.5% stated they’ve lost thousands and 0.7% of them tens of thousands.
4. 47,000 gamblers in the UK lost over £5,000 over the course of a year.
(The Guardian)
Nine out of ten casino accounts either won or lost less than £500 a year. However, 164,000 accounts lost over £500 during a single session, with most of the losing gamblers coming from deprived areas. The lion’s share of the money was lost on slots which account for more than 50% of all losses over £5,000.
5. Harmful gambling costs the country £1.27 billion yearly.
(GOV.UK)
The government estimates that the total cost of harmful gambling is somewhere between £841 million and £2.12 billion. £647.2 million of this sum is a direct cost of the government, while the rest is categorized as intangible costs to wider society.
Gambling Addiction Demographics in the UK
6. In 2020, 0.6% of male interviewees self-diagnosed as problem gamblers.
(Statista)
A Statista survey reveals that while 0.6% of male respondents identified themselves as problem gamblers, none of the female interviewees said the same.
In terms of age group, the gambling addiction demographics are as follows :
- 0.4% of problem gamblers were aged between 16-24
- 0.3% were aged 25-34
- 1.1% were between 35 and 44
- 0.4% were aged 45-54
7. Over 2 million students in Britain gamble while at university.
(The Gambling Addicts, The Recovery Village)
Of those, a quarter have more than £10,000 in debt, while one in 8 student gamblers have missed lectures because of gambling.
Over in the US, gambling addiction facts and stats reveal that one in twenty college students fit the description of compulsive gamblers, with the compulsive gambling rate among them being twice as high as that of the adult population.
8. 1.7% of 11 to 16-year olds in the UK are classified as problem gamblers.
(The Gambling Commission)
According to data from the UKCG, 1.7% of teens between the ages of 11 and 16 were classified as problem gamblers, while 2.7% were at risk.
Further shocking teenage gambling addiction statistics indicate that as many as 11% of young adults in this age group have spent their own money on gambling with 12% saying that they have played a gambling-style game online. 44%, on the other hand, have spent money to open in-game items like loot boxes, whereas 6% said they take part in skins betting or wagering with in-game items.
9. 8% of members of VIP casino programs are problem gamblers.
(Wired)
Casinos often employ tempting welcome bonuses to attract players to the site, as well as generous loyalty programs to make them play more and longer. These loyalty schemes target the most vulnerable groups of punters, i.e. problem gamblers, who make up 8% of all members of online casino’s VIP programs.
10. 46% of gamblers in Britain have resorted to stealing to fuel their gambling habit.
(UKAT)
Further alarming gambling addiction facts and stats show that:
- One in two have sold their personal possessions for gambling
- 13% of gamblers have attempted suicide.
11. The majority of problem gamblers seeking treatment were in a relationship.
(BeGambleAware)
According to the annual report on gambling addiction stats:
- 35.7% of gamblers were in a relationship, 29.3% were married and only 2.1% were divorced, thus refuting myths that only people down on their luck gamble.
- 75.1% were employed and just 8.6% did not have a job.
12. Over half of problem gamblers in treatment played online.
(BeGambleAware)
A total of 58.3% of problem gamblers receiving treatment stated that they gambled online as opposed to 27.1% and 4.7% who did so at brick-and-mortar bookies and casinos, respectively.
Within online gambling, 25% of punters bet on sports, followed by slots (22%) and table games (20%). Within physical bookmakers, gaming machines were the most popular (used by 26% of gamblers), followed by sports betting (11%) and betting on horse races (9%).
Gambling Addiction Treatment Statistics
13. Just 3% of problem gamblers in the UK get help.
(The Guardian, BeGambleAware)
By the end of March 2020, only 9,008 people, or about 3% of problem gamblers in the country got treatment.
Gambling addiction statistics from the UK also show that:
- 45% of those being treated for their addiction had debts exceeding £5,000, had filed for bankruptcy, or had entered a debt repayment scheme.
- More than 25% of them said that gambling had cost them their relationship, whereas 12% had lost their job.
- 59% of those in treatment had a big win when they first started gambling.
- 75% of those getting help were men between 20 and 30 years of age, which is not surprising given that British men are 7.5 times more likely to be problem gamblers than women, However, the number of women seeking help for gambling is on the rise, going up from 19% in 2016 to 25% by mid-2020.
- 13% were not gamblers themselves, but people who have been affected by someone else’s gambling addiction. 2% of these were considered at risk of becoming problem gamblers.
- A quarter of clients were experiencing recurring problems related to gambling.
14. 40% of those who completed the treatment program were still classified as problem gamblers.
(BeGambleAware)
On the plus side, 23% were defined as ‘non-problem’ after completing treatment, with the remainder classified at either low (15%) or moderate (21%) risk. In addition, 90% of those who completed treatment reported improvements, as well.
Self Exclusion Stats and Facts
15. 40,000 people registered for self-exclusion with GAMSTOP in the first 6 months of 2021.
(SBCNews)
This represents an increase of 25% compared to the same period of 2020, putting the total number of GAMSTOP self-exclusion registrants at 218,000. 70% of them were male, while 41% fell in the 25 to 34 age group or 59% of those aged between 18 and 34. More than half (58%) opted for the maximum exclusion period of five years.
16. In 2018, there were 20.48 thousand self-exclusion breaches.
(Statista)
18.14 thousand of these were in the betting sector, followed by 3,082 in the casino and 373 in the bingo section, gambling addiction facts and stats between April 2017 and March 2018 reveal.
Gambling Addiction Trends
17. 20% of people with a gambling problem admitted to gambling more during the pandemic.
(GOV.UK, CNBC)
Another study on gambling addiction trends in the UK found that sports bettors with a gambling problem were more likely to engage in new gambling activities during the pandemic. It is also reported that they are more likely to take up riskier gambling games like slots or online casino games.
18. The number of interventions by gambling sites went up by 25%.
(GOV.UK, CNBC)
As more people turned to gambling sites during the lockdowns, the number of safer gambling messages on online platforms more than doubled. At the same time, the number of direct interventions by operators where a user was spending more time or money on gambling than before increased by 25%.
Breaking the Habit
Problem gambling can affect anyone from celebrities to casual gamblers. This is why it is important to practice responsible gambling and only play with money you can afford to lose.
Hopefully, these gambling addiction statistics from the UK are enough to make you think twice before you make your next wager.