Asylum Seekers in the UK May Be Using Money to Gamble

A new Freedom of Information request made by PoliticsHome has revealed that there have been 6,500 instances of payments in gambling settings that were made – or attempted – by asylum seekers in 2024, indicating that some of the funds people receive may be misused this way.

Cases of ASEAN Cards Misuse Identified in FoI Request

Tracking of the data was made possible through the ASPEN cards that were handed over to asylum seekers by the Home Office, and the scheme is part of an initiative to help integrate new arrivals into society without them suffering extreme financial and personal hardship.

However, the Home Office has confirmed that any instances of misuse and the individual responsible would face serious consequences. The strategy adopted by the Home Office is not profligate in any measure, but the government expects any and all funds to be allocated purposefully.

The standard procedure is for asylum seekers to be set up in hotels where they receive £9.95 weekly payments to their ASEAN cards, which later increase to £49.18 when an asylum seeker moves into a home of their own. While the funds are not significant per se, they are offered to every asylum seeker, and the government is keen to ensure that the money goes towards covering living expenses.

However, a closer look at PoliticsHome has now raised worries that some of the money could be misused. It is not surprising, though, that asylum seekers may attempt to gamble with the money they are given.

Vulnerable groups such as immigrants and asylum seekers, people who live below the poverty line, and the prison population are traditionally more vulnerable to gambling and gambling-related harm.

Politicians, though, have been quick to reap dividends and attack the government: “Shockingly, over 6,000 illegal immigrants have attempted to use hard-working British taxpayers’ money to gamble,” said conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp.

Politicians Seize Opportunity to Amp Up Anti-Immigration Rhetoric

“These illegal immigrants clearly don’t need the money they are given if they are squandering it at casinos and arcades,” Philp added.

However, there are 80,000 ASPEN cards, and 6,500 instances of payments to gambling venues, which is around 8% of the total, assuming the 6,500 instances were as many registered individual cards (which they were not).

In other words, the language is purposefully incendiary but does not necessarily reflect the objective reality. Asylum seekers are not misusing the ASEAN money in droves, even if some are.

Yet, legitimate concern remains as to why this has been allowed. The Home Office has assured that the fault would be corrected.