New UK Study Warns That Gambling Harm May Be More Widespread than Expected

New ScienceDirect research is raising uncomfortable questions about the scale of gambling-related risk in the UK. The data offers a detailed look into how many people will fall under the government’s upcoming financial risk checks. The study is based on a large amount of open banking data and comes just months before the checks become mandatory for all operators in February 2025.

Young Males Were More Likely to Take Risks

Last year, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC)’s white paper laid the groundwork for enhanced harm prevention measures. The plan requires betting firms to perform  “light-touch” checks on players who lose GBP 150 ($ 201) or more within a rolling 30-day period. The process should be seamless, leveraging indicators such as bankruptcy filings or outstanding debts rather than full affordability assessments.

Our dataset helps establish a pre-policy baseline and characterizes the population whose gambling patterns would have originally triggered these checks.

ScienceDirect research

Despite the UKGC’s ambitions, the number of gamblers who actually cross this threshold, or what distinguishes them from the wider population, remained unknown. Researchers thus analyzed bank transactions of more than 243,000 gamblers spanning over a year. Their findings paint a troubling picture, as nearly 25% of the gambling population would have activated the new checks.

This group, labelled Exceeding Threshold Gamblers, accounted for roughly 92% of all cash spent on gambling. The study characterizes these individuals as predominantly young males with spending patterns that were significantly more intense than those of their peers. The study’s authors note that the data suggest potential vulnerabilities that warrant closer oversight.

Previous Data Highlights Concerning Trends

Researchers used cluster analysis to divide the high-spending group into three subtypes. Approximately 50% of the high-spending group were categorized as diversified spenders whose gambling expenses appeared proportional to their income. The remaining groups revealed concerning findings. They revealed players whose play appeared less controlled, more volatile, or more tightly linked to periods of financial strain.

Beyond assisting with the implementation of such checks, such data can also be useful for research investigating this policy and the population it might impact.

ScienceDirect research

These findings align with other studies that indicate growing pressure in the UK gambling market. In November, an AskGamblers report revealed that nearly 50% of UK gamblers are hiding or downplaying their betting. A third admitted they would rather lose their money rather than ask for help, while a quarter said they would wait until losing GBP 100 ($134) in a single week before seeing a therapist.

Leading charity Gamble Aware also highlighted the weight of gambling stigma and rising problem gambling rates. The charity also pointed to the prevalence of advertising, with 62% of respondents saying gambling promotions felt unavoidable. Taken together, the data suggest a tougher environment than regulators or operators may have anticipated, hinting that the line between casual play and dangerous behavior may be blurrier than expected.