Nearly Half UK Bettors Would Only Seek Help After Going Into Debt

Close to half of bettors would need to go into debt before opening up about any problem gambling issues, research has revealed.

The study was carried out by AskGamblers as part of Safer Gambling Week, which looked into how UK players react to their gambling habits. According to the study, 47% of players said they would only begin to seek help for their gambling behaviour after going into debt.

The study also found 49% of UK-based players have downplayed their sports betting

behaviours in an attempt to protect their reputation. A total of 30% of bettors have admitted to waiting until after a significant loss before they open up about their betting activity.

More than one in three UK sports bettors said they would rather lose money on a bet than ask for help from friends or a professional at 34%, while 24% said they would have to lose up to £100 a week before considering professional help. Close to one in five said they would  need to lose up to £500 in a week before seeking professional help at 18%. An even smaller percentage said they would feel comfortable reaching out to a GP or mental health professional, at 12%.

Gambling withdrawal

AskGamblers has teamed up with Liz Karter MBE, a therapist who specialises in gambling addiction, as part of its research campaign. Speaking to AskGamblers Talks, Karter is taking part in a six-part series covering the topic.

Karter said:

“Lots of people find that overall their pattern of gambling can be ok, but then they have times when they might describe it as going on a bit of a binge. In some cases, somebody might have been gambling for five, 10, 20 years or more, so when they stop gambling there is a very real withdrawal.

“People often say to me ‘how can there be a withdrawal from gambling because it’s not like drugs or alcohol’, but somebody has become very dependent on either the highs that they get from gambling, or that numbing feeling of escapism. To let go of that feels really really difficult.”

Problem gambling rate is up

The research from AskGamblers comes after British regulator the Gambling Commission confirmed last month the percentage of problem gamblers in Great Britain increased slightly to 2.7% for 2024, up from 2.5% for 2023.

While this was only reflective of a small rise in problem gambling rates, those rates have risen significantly from those being shown in previous surveys. The Commission previously announced in its quarterly telephone survey that in the year to December 2022, a total of 0.2% of 4,000 respondents classed as problem gamblers.

GamCare campaign

In October, GamCare launched a year-round digital campaign in an effort to encourage people to seek help for potential problem gambling sooner. The campaign set up by the gambling protection charity includes a series of adverts targeting men aged 18-44 and people who have been affected by their loved ones’ gambling activity.

As part of the campaign, GamCare launched a 30-second film to bring to life the intense emotions people can experience while gambling. In the New Year, GamCare is planning to make a significant push with the campaign, as that is one of the busiest times of the year with regards to calls being received by the National Gambling Helpline, founded by GamCare.