Thousands of students are spending money every week on gambling addictions

Spending an average of £30 a week on betting, thousands of students are missing out on student life in order to fund their gambling habits.

Research has found that in a survey of 2,000 students, 35% admitted to using their bank overdrafts, student loans, or borrowing from friends to fund their habits, with 80% admitting that they had gambled.

Concerning those who said they had gambled, 41% confessed that it caused missing deadlines, lectures, or social activities.

The most popular ways to gamble included the National Lottery (32%), online sports betting (25%), and online bingo (18%).

With almost 20% admitting to spending more than £50 a week on betting, students reported that average spending was £31.52 (only spending, without a distinction between deposits and losses).

The research, conducted by Censuswide, was commissioned by GAMSTOP, an independent self-exclusion scheme for online gambling addicts, and the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM), a national charity aiming to “inform, educate, [and] safeguard young people against gaming and gambling harms”.

They found that 46% of the students who gamble are motivated by making money, but 25% admit to enjoying the risk.

The Guardian interviewed the father of Josh Jones, who took his own life in 2015 after incurring debts and financial difficulties whilst studying.

Jones said: “He went up to halls of residence, and within 10 days he’d blown his first term’s loan, which was about £1,200.”

His parents kept close management of funds from this point on through his degree in mathematics at the University of Surrey.

Following university, Jones was employed at the accounting firm PwC, or PricewaterhouseCoopers, but unfortunately could not escape his addiction – taking his own life after running up debts of £30,000 by the age of 23.

With online gambling increasingly prevalent during the pandemic, the research shows the importance of raising awareness of a free online self-exclusion service, which is accessible to all.

– Fiona Palmer, CEO of GAMSTOP

Fiona Palmer, CEO of GAMSTOP, stated: “Gambling-related harm on our campuses is a subject that is rarely addressed, but for any students experiencing problems with their gambling, self-exclusion can give them valuable breathing space whilst they seek additional help.

“With online gambling increasingly prevalent during the pandemic, the research shows the importance of raising awareness of a free online self-exclusion service, which is accessible to all.”