UK students lose £50 a week on gambling as participation falls

A December 2025 survey of 2,000 UK university students conducted by Censuswide for gambling support charity Ygam and the national self-exclusion register Gamstop found that student gamblers lost an average of £50.33 per week, nearly double the prior year. Participation over the past year fell to 65%, and 53% of student gamblers named making money as their main reason.

The findings align with a five-year study of 10,000 students showing overall participation declining from 78% in 2022 to 65% in 2026.

Men were more likely than women to have gambled in the past year, 75% versus 55%. Participation varied by ethnicity, with 50% of Asian students reporting gambling compared with 72% of White students. Sports betting showed a wide gender gap, with 41% of men placing bets versus 17% of women.

The National Lottery was the most common activity, with 31% taking part, followed by online sports betting at 29%. Frequency differed by product: sports bettors wagered on about 116 days per year on average, online slot players on 103 days, and lottery players on 65 days. Average weekly losses reached £50.33, up from £27.24 a year earlier. Three-quarters of student gamblers spent more than £10 per week and 23% spent over £50. Men reported higher average weekly spend of £64.89, compared with £30.93 for women. Most students used salary or earnings to fund gambling, followed by savings and student loans. A separate survey by Nationwide reported that the top 10% of UK gamblers spent about £745 per month.

Motivations shifted toward financial gain. In the latest survey, 53% named making money as the primary reason, up from 45% in 2024. Ygam and Gamstop reported that about three in five students gambled with the aim of making money, citing stretched household budgets. Friends were the most common influence on gambling decisions at 36%, followed by social media at 34% and sporting events at 32%. The survey noted a sharp rise in the impact of social platforms and influencer content.

Using the short-form Problem Gambling Severity Index, 18% of student gamblers were classified as experiencing problem gambling, with 30% at moderate risk and 16% at low risk. In the five-year study, the share of problem gamblers declined from 24% in 2023 to 18% in 2026. Nearly half of student gamblers, 46%, reported negative effects on university life, including difficulty affording food, missed social activities, and issues attending lectures or completing assignments. Seven percent sought hardship loans and 6% considered deferring or dropping out.

Gamstop recorded a 40% increase in registrations from consumers aged 16 to 24 in the second half of 2025. In the six months to December 31, 2025, the service logged 58,675 new registrations, an average of 319 per day, with 16- to 24-year-olds making up 29% of sign-ups. “The Annual Student Gambling Survey reveals a lack of awareness about the risks of gambling in the student community and the impact on students who struggle to control their gambling, but it is encouraging to see more awareness of the support available,” according to Fiona Palmer, CEO of Gamstop. “Self-exclusion is an important tool and nearly 60,000 under-25s are registered with Gamstop, a 75% increase over the last five years.”

Awareness of campus-based help improved. Among student gamblers, 58% knew about support available at their university, up from 53% a year earlier, and 69% felt at least somewhat confident about accessing help. Awareness and confidence were lower among students of Mixed and Asian ethnic backgrounds.

The survey also captured related digital behavior. Thirty-seven percent of respondents reported investing in cryptocurrency, including 51% of men and 25% of women. Video gaming was common at 85%, and among gamers, 75% had purchased randomized digital items such as loot boxes or packs, up from 66% the prior year. Fifty-seven percent viewed these purchases as a form of gambling.

Ygam CEO Emily Tofield urged universities and student unions to give gambling harms the same focus as other risky behaviors, including drinking and drug use. Separate data from Gamcare showed that nearly 2,000 people sought financial guidance for gambling-related issues in 2025, with a record 233 referrals to the Money Guidance Service in January 2026, close to three times higher than the same month in 2025.

As we covered previously, nearly a third of U.S. Gen Z adults reported risking or considering money in sports betting, cryptocurrency and prediction markets, and 80% of that group saw these as a quicker route to financial goals, based on a Jan. 5–21, 2026 survey of 4,375 adults. The study said 57% of Gen Z prioritize growing wealth over protecting it and advised using only money one can afford to lose. Platform figures showed 67% of traders lose more than they win; 32% made a profit, most earning $1,000 or less.