A new study showing alarming rates of youth gambling in England is raising concern among the country’s lawmakers. The latest results from the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) and Gamstop showed that nearly half of UK college students who gamble are spending way more than they can afford to do so. It’s a study that could have a big impact on how British-facing operators are able to conduct their business and market to new customers.
The study polled 2,000 British university students about their gambling habits. It’s the third part of a report that was first published in 2022 and has been raising eyebrows ever since.
Among the report’s most alarming findings was the fact that university students who gamble lose an average of £35.25 ($41.26) a week, which averages out to £1,833 ($2344.95 USD) annually. While that might not seem like a lot money to adults working full-time jobs, it’s a tremendous sum for college students.
On a more personal level, researchers found that around 40 percent of the students polled who gamble had been criticized by someone in their lives for their gambling activities. Nearly half of the respondents (46 percent) said that gambling had impacted their college experience.
Gambling minister Stuart Andrew used the study’s results to promote his efforts at reducing problem gambling, which include some controversial limits on online gambling stakes. In a statement reported on by iGamingBusiness.com, Andrew said more change was needed adding, “Alongside this, we are introducing a host of measures this year that will better protect young people from gambling harms, including financial risk checks, tighter controls on advertising and marketing and a statutory levy on gambling operators.”