A recent study has revealed that half of the UK students who gamble are complaining about the negative effects of gambling on their university experience. Meanwhile, a quarter of them expressed they have been going through some form of gambling harm. The survey in question was conducted in December of last year, with 2,003 participants from UK universities taking part in the study.
The Problem Gambling Severity Index was included in the survey as it is commonly used to assess the severity of problem gambling among UK residents. Thanks to the index, the survey was able to deduce the gambling risk levels among UK students. The poll was conducted by Censuswide, which is a research entity authorised to carry out the survey by charities like Ygam and Gamstop. The survey included questions concerning students’ gambling habits and the effects gambling has on their spending. Students were also polled about factors that have influenced them to resort to gambling, sources of funds as well as how many of them know their options for seeking help.
Gambling Has Serious Negative Effects on University Experience for Half of UK Student Gamblers
According to the results revealed by the study, some 71% of the participants reported having gambled in the last 12 months. It was further assessed that out of those students who have gambled during the previous year, 28% were at a moderate gambling risk, while 24% were showing signs of problem gambling.
Half of the respondents expressed the negative effects gambling has on their university experience as 13% were having a hard time with saving money for food, 10% were not attending their lectures and tutorials while another 10% reported they were having trouble with completing their assignments and keeping good grades. About 9% of participants in the survey also shared that due to gambling, they were having issues with paying their accommodation bills.
Almost Half of UK Student Gamblers Unaware of Gambling Harm Support Offered by Universities
According to the study, 45% of the UK students who have participated in gambling activities in the last 12 months were not aware of the help their universities were offering to problem gamblers. About 48% of the respondents reported having resorted to gambling as a source of income, however, only 11% claimed to have won money on a weekly basis. One-third of the gambling students in the UK said they spent £11-£20 per week on bets, another 23% reported weekly spendings of £21-£50, and 13% were spending between £51 and £100 on gambling bets per week.
The survey showed that in order to support their gambling habits, some 8% of the participants in the poll resorted to borrowing money from friends and family while 6% of the respondents said they even used payday loans to afford their gambling activities. A somewhat related discovery was also that over 40% of students have bought crypto in the last year, which surpasses the figure among the overall UK population.
While the full report was expected to be published on Monday, the numbers which were revealed prior to that were concerning, prompting campaigners to call for better education on gambling-related harms among university students. Dr Jane Rigbye, Ygam’s chief executive, reported the results from the survey were proving that a large number of UK students were gamblers, with many of them experiencing gambling-related harm as well. She called for universities to take serious measures to prevent gambling harm and offer the proper support to those who may need it.
- Author
Daniel Williams
