Amount of people seeking support for gambling losses is growing in the UK
The number of people seeking financial guidance since the start of 2025 is already higher than the whole of last year, according to the charity GamCare. It’s in June, July and August that the number of registrations has doubled year-on-year.
The charity, which has a national gambling helpline, says those who have entered its service since January this year have reported collective debts of over £5.3M in total, with an average of £4,682 per person.
The total figure of debt reported in the first eight months of this year has almost doubled compared to the entirety of last year, when it stood at over £2.8 million.
Over £5.3m in collective debts reported, as people seek out support for gambling debt
Kathy Wade, Money Guidance Service Manager, commented: “We often hear from people who struggle with gambling that it doesn’t feel like real money they are betting with. A lot of the people we see are young men who are looking for big financial wins either through gambling or even cryptocurrency investing, but it can lead to riskier behaviours around these activities.”
In August 2025, a total of 198 referrals came through the charity whereas this month saw 69 in the year previous. For this year, January had 84 referrals, February 94, March 128, April 163, May 147, June 172, and July 165.
“It is especially difficult for people who look to gambling to make extra money for their daily household costs, which continue to feel squeezed by rising pressures,” continued Kathy Wade.
“We know that many people gamble safely, but we would not encourage anyone to gamble with the goal of making extra money to cover their essential bills.”
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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