GAMSTOP reports one in four UK students may be experiencing gambling harm
UK charity found that one in five students surveyed borrowed money to fund their gambling
GAMSTOP has revealed in its latest research that 24% of students were displaying behaviour that could be classified as problem gambling.
The research was carried out by Censuswide, which surveyed 2,000 students, equally split between men and women.
The responses revealed that 71% had gambled in the last 12 months, with one in three spending up to £20 a week, and nearly one in four spending between £21-£50.
The study also indicated that 13% of students were spending between £51-£100, with one in five borrowing money, including using payday loans to fund their gambling.
Regarding what forms of gambling students were playing, sports betting was the most common gambling activity among males, with 42% stating they gambled in this way, and The National Lottery was the most popular gambling activity among women at 34.5%.
Overall, the lottery was the most popular gambling activity at 36.7%.
Half of those surveyed said that gambling impacted their university experience, with 13% stating that they’d had difficulty paying for food, while 10% were missing lectures which affected their assignments grades, with a further 9% saying that they’d struggled to pay bills and/or accommodation costs.
When asked the reasons for gambling, most said it was to make money, with 47.9% saying that was their main reason for gambling.
On the lower end of the scale, 11% of respondents stated they gambled as a form of escapism, and 4.5% gambled because they felt they couldn’t stop or were addicted.
In addition, 45% of those who admitted to gambling were unaware of the support available to them from their respective universities.
The survey also found that more than 40% of students had invested in some form of cryptocurrency, which is a much higher percentage than the general overall population.
Dr Jane Rigbye, CEO of Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM), said: “These findings give us insight into the attitudes and behaviours of students towards gambling. Building on the data published last year, we can now see that not only are a large percentage of the student population gambling on a regular basis, many of them are doing so in a way that may cause them to experience harm.”
Rigbye added: “The data further emphasises the importance of educating our young people on the risks associated with gambling. We’re working with our partners to tour university campuses across the UK to speak to students, deliver specialist training to university staff and to raise awareness. It is crucial that universities engage and take this issue seriously.”