Total Seeking Financial Guidance with GamCare Doubled in 2025

The number of people seeking financial guidance from UK gambling charity GamCare more than doubled in 2025, and the amount of debt being reported by people also more than doubled.

According to GamCare, a total of 1,954 people sought support from its Money Guidance Service after experiencing gambling losses, which was up significantly from 923 people the year prior, reflecting an increase of 112%.

Total debt reported by people also soared, going up by 153% to £7.2 million; an average of £21,269 per person. This was up from £2.8 million total debt for 2024, where the average was £13,876 per person.

Record demand for PayPlan

Meanwhile, UK debt provider PayPlan said it saw record demand for its services in January 2026, with 21,000 contacts being made to the organisation across the month, which was up 22% year-on-year. A total of 243 people were referred to PayPlan for debt advice by GamCare in 2025, up 34% from 181 people the year before.

There was also a record number of people being referred to the Money Guidance Service in January, with 233 people seeking guidance due to gambling-related losses; almost three times as many people as the corresponding month a year before.

Kathy Wade, Money Guidance Service Manager, said:

“We are concerned people are telling us they are looking towards gambling to help them cover essential bills, as households feel squeezed by the cost-of-living crisis, but end up in a worse financial situation as a result. We realise that many people gamble safely and do so to win money, but we would not encourage anyone to gamble with the goal of making extra money to cover essential bills.”

Emma Gibbons, Vulnerability Lead at PayPlan, said:

“We’re seeing first-hand how gambling-related harm is increasingly linked to debt. The rise in referrals from GamCare reflects the growing number of people who feel overwhelmed and unsure where to turn after suffering losses.”

In January, GamCare referred 996 people to treatment and peer-based support services, which was up 48% year-on-year. This was one of the highest totals of monthly referrals GamCare has reported in the last five years, with only three other months in that time producing a higher number of referrals.

Problem gambling rate up

Research from British regulator the Gambling Commission showed the problem gambling rate in Great Britain rose to 2.7% for 2024. The number was published as part of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain.

The 2024 GSGB survey was the second of its kind to be published. Those two surveys have indicated problem gambling rates have been significantly higher than the data was showing in previous surveys published by the Commission. The Commission previously announced that in the year to December 2022, a total of 0.2% of respondents classed as problem gamblers.

White Paper impact

With regards to player harm, the next few years will show if these figures are impacted by the implementation of the terms of the 2023 Gambling White Paper.

The Gambling White Paper was one of the most significant publications in the history of gambling in the UK, setting out more than 60 proposals to update the country’s gambling laws.

Among the terms recommended were affordability checks, in an attempt to protect players spending a certain amount within a certain timeframe, improved identification checks, a statutory levy, and a cap on the maximum stakes on online slots at £5 for older adults and £2 for younger adults.