Table of Contents hide

1.1 How Do I Stop My Gambling Addiction?

1.3 Gambling Addiction Therapy

1.4 Gambling Addiction Stories

1.5 NHS Gambling Addiction

1.6 Gambling Addiction UK

1.7 Gambling addiction symptoms

1.8 Gambling Addiction Test

1.9 Gambling Addiction Statistics

1.9.1 Gambling Addiction Conclusion

1.10 Further reading

Gambling Addiction

Gambling addiction. Gambling problems can happen to anyone from any walk of life. Your gambling goes from a fun, harmless diversion to an unhealthy obsession with serious consequences.

Whether you bet on sports, scratch cards, roulette, poker, or slots in a casino, at the track, or online, a gambling problem can strain your relationships, interfere with work, and lead to financial disaster.

You may even do things you never thought you would, like running up huge debts or even stealing money to gamble.

Gambling addiction also known as pathological gambling, compulsive gambling, or gambling disorder, is an impulse-control disorder. If you’re a compulsive gambler, you can’t control the impulse to gamble, even when it has negative consequences for you or your loved ones.

You’ll gamble whether you’re up to or down, broke or flush, and you’ll keep gambling regardless of the consequences, even when you know that the odds are against you or you can’t afford to lose.

Of course, you can also have a gambling problem without being totally out of control. Problem gambling is any gambling behaviour that disrupts your life.

If you’re preoccupied with gambling, spending more and more time and money on it, chasing losses, or gambling despite serious consequences in your life, you have a gambling problem.

A gambling addiction or problem is often associated with other behaviour or mood disorders. Many problem gamblers also suffer from substance abuse issues, unmanaged ADHD, stress, depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder.

To overcome your gambling problems, you’ll also need to address these and any other underlying causes as well.

Although it may feel like you’re powerless to stop gambling, there are plenty of things you can do to overcome the problem, repair your relationships and finances, and finally regain control of your life.

The first step is to separate the unrealistic view from the facts about gambling problems:

Unrealistic view: You have to gamble every day to be a problem gambler.

Fact: A problem gambler may gamble frequently or infrequently. Gambling is a problem if it causes problems.

Unrealistic view: Problem gambling is not a problem if the gambler can afford it.

Fact: Problems caused by excessive gambling are not just financial. Too much time spent on gambling can also lead to relationship and legal problems, job loss, mental health problems including depression and anxiety, and even suicide.

Unrealistic view: Having a gambling problem is just a case of being weak-willed, irresponsible, or unintelligent.

Fact: Gambling problems affect people of all levels of intelligence and all backgrounds. Previously responsible and strong-willed people are just as likely to develop a gambling problem as anyone else.

Unrealistic view: Partners of problem gamblers often drive their loved ones to gamble.

Fact: Problem gamblers often try to rationalize their behaviour. Blaming others is one way to avoid taking responsibility for their actions, including what is needed to overcome the problem.

Unrealistic view: If a problem gambler builds up a debt, you should help them take care of it.

Fact: Quick fix solutions may appear to be the right thing to do. However, bailing the gambler out of debt may make matters worse by enabling their gambling problems to continue.

Just as those suffering from substance use disorders require increasingly strong hits to get high or increasingly larger amounts of alcohol to get drunk, gambling addicts pursue riskier ventures and bet increasingly larger amounts of money to receive the same pleasure they once did.

Additionally, research shows that pathological gamblers and drug users share many of the same genetic predispositions for impulsivity and reward seeking. Furthermore, both those suffering from substance abuse problems and compulsive gamblers endure symptoms of withdrawal when attempting to quit.

How Do I Stop My Gambling Addiction?

How do I stop my gambling addiction? There is no straight pattern to effectively overcome gambling addiction. But a combination of a few steps with determination will take you far and eventually get you clean.

If you are amongst those seeking solutions to their gambling addiction problem then keep reading to know what you can do.

Understand the Problem

You can’t fix something that you don’t understand. To eliminate gambling from your life, you must learn about the issue and admit you have a gambling problem.

How do I stop my gambling addiction? You might have a gambling disorder if you have:

The powerful need to gamble with larger amounts of money
Feelings of restlessness or irritability when not gambling
Made repeated and unsuccessful attempts to quit gambling
Found yourself completely preoccupied with gambling
Noticed you gamble to manage stress
Continued gamble to “get even”
Lied to friends, coworkers, and loved ones about gambling
Lost relationships or created conflict about gambling
Needed financial support

Be honest with yourself when you look over the symptoms of a gambling disorder, or even better, ask a loved one about their opinion of your gambling for a clearer understanding. Stop denying and start seeing the negative effect gambling has on your life.

Find Alternatives to Gambling

Avoiding triggers and distracting during cravings are great ways to deal with gambling, but to improve your state, you’ll need to find healthy alternatives to gambling. By replacing gambling behaviours with positive ones, you shift the focus away from the bad and toward the good.

Some gambling alternatives include:

Physical activity (e.g., going for walks, weightlifting, team sports, or yoga)
Meditation
Spending more time with friends and family who do not gamble
Volunteering at a hospital or animal shelter
Exploring new hobbies
Traveling
Just think of the fun, beneficial alternatives you can explore with the extra money you have from not gambling.

Think About the Consequences

Shame and guilt are strong feelings for anyone in recovery from gambling addiction. Shame and guilt can be dangerous because too much of them can encourage people to relapse, but some levels of shame and guilt can motivate you to stay in recovery.

Think about the consequences of your past gambling to avoid gambling in the future. Think about:

The emotional pain you caused your loved ones
The financial hardships you put your family in
Any lies you told to disguise your addiction from others
Try not to dwell on past behaviour, and only use it for motivation to avoid gambling in the future. Too much shame or guilt can be counterproductive.

Avoid Temptation

How do I stop my gambling addiction? Gambling is a temptation, but seeing gambling as an addiction is a significant step because it permits you to use skills from addiction recovery and relapse prevention.

For someone in recovery, avoiding people, places, and activities linked to gambling can help them avoid a setback. By avoiding these triggers, you can avoid the thoughts and feelings that encourage gambling.

So, if driving by a casino after work sparks thoughts of gambling, take an alternative way home. If watching sports makes you want to bet on it, consider watching something else. Cut up your credit cards and let your spouse handle the checkbook.

It may seem like an inconvenience, but just as a person with a drinking problem should not go into a bar, you have to identify and avoid your triggers. Work with a loved one on your list of triggers and find ways to avoid the temptations to reduce the risk of gambling.

Seek Professional Help

If your gambling is severe, consider seeking professional help as soon as possible. Professional treatment from a mental health or addiction specialist could be the difference between a life of financial uncertainty versus living in financial stability.

Professional treatment methods can teach you ways to stay away from gambling as well as refine the skills you are already employing.

With professional counselors and therapists widely available, the only thing holding you back is your reluctance. Even better, you can seek professional help while participating in a support group.

Join a peer support group. Gamblers Anonymous, for example, is a 12-step recovery program patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous. A key part of the program is finding a sponsor, a former gambler who has experience remaining free from addiction and can provide you invaluable guidance and support.

Seek help for underlying mood disorders. Depression, stress, substance abuse, or anxiety can both trigger gambling problems and be made worse by compulsive gambling. Even when gambling is no longer a part of your life, these problems will remain, so it’s important to address them.

Is Gambling A Mental Issue?

Is gambling a mental issue? Gambling disorder involves repeated problem gambling behaviour. The behaviour leads to problems for the individual, families, and society and this is classed as an impulse-control disorder.

Adults and adolescents with gambling disorders have trouble controlling their gambling. They will continue even when it causes significant problems.

Diagnosis

Is gambling a mental issue? A diagnosis of gambling disorder requires at least four of the following during the past year:

Need to gamble with increasing amounts to achieve the desired excitement.
Restless or irritable when trying to cut down or stop gambling.
Repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back on or stop gambling.
Frequent thoughts about gambling (such as reliving past gambling or planning future gambling).
Often gambling when feeling distressed.
After losing money gambling, often returning to get even. (This is referred to as “chasing” one’s losses.)
Lying to hide gambling activity.
Risking or losing a close relationship, a job, or a school or job opportunity because of gambling.
Relying on others to help with money problems caused by gambling

Is gambling a mental issue? People with gambling disorder can have periods where symptoms subside. Gambling may not seem a problem in between periods of more severe symptoms.

Gambling disorder tends to run in families. Factors such as trauma and social inequality, particularly in women, can be risk factors. Symptoms can begin as early as adolescence or as late as older adulthood. Men are more likely to start at a younger age. Women are more likely to start later in life.

Gambling Addiction Therapy

Gambling addiction therapy. Gambling addiction can make you feel as though you are losing control. The main approach to gambling therapy is by using some form of psychological support or intervention

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Treatment

Cognitive behavioural-therapy treatment sessions have shown promising results in the face of a variety of addictions, including gambling addiction. With this treatment, a mental health professional can help an addict identify the thought processes that have led to the compulsive gambling practice.

For instance, many gamblers come to believe that if they just keep placing bets for a while longer, they will surely win the large jackpot they’ve been chasing. Instead of the dream of riches, other gamblers will keep at it, hoping that future winnings will pay their past debts.

Due to the psychological nature of gambling addiction, a gambler’s moods may come to depend entirely on the highs of jackpots and the lows of losing streaks. With this form of gambling addiction therapy, a gambler can begin to identify these misperceptions and work to correct them.

When these root causes are identified and addressed, you or your loved one can begin the road to recovery.

Other Gambling Addiction Therapy Methods

Gambling addiction treatment program options include other therapeutic methods as well.

Psychotherapy, or the practice of dealing with gambling triggers through individual and group counselling sessions, can lead to many of the same results as cognitive behavioural therapy, including isolating causes and reversing misperceptions.

Family therapy can also be beneficial to the addicted gambler. When you compulsively gamble, it’s likely your family is affected as well. Family therapy addresses not only the issue of gambling itself but also deals with healing family relationships and moving forward on the recovery path together.

An important part of gambling therapy can also be the limitation of access to gambling opportunities. This can be difficult; many people cannot avoid exposure to the office Super Bowl pool or the gambling ads that appear across the Internet.

But by at least limiting access to the most obvious and accessible avenues, a gambling addict can begin to focus on their obsessive or compulsive behavior, instead of dealing only with avoidance.

Gambling Addiction Stories

Gambling addiction stories. Gambling Addiction is an embarrassing thing to admit but people who have over it have come out to share their empowering stories of how they overcame it. Here is one of such stories

Pete’s gambling story

I have a gambling addiction. It took me a long while, and a lot of money and stress, before I realised it. But that’s the truth of the matter. I can look you in the eye today and tell you that I’m a compulsive gambler.

My gambling addiction started in my early twenties. I and my mates liked a flutter at the bookies, now and then, to liven up a Saturday night out. Usually, we’d put on an accumulator and watch the results come in at the pub. It was fun, a buzz, especially on the rare occasion that one of us would score.

Gambling addiction stories. By my mid-twenties, most of my mates were settling down and having kids. They didn’t have as much time to go down the pub or the bookies for that matter, but I wasn’t interested in slowing down.

My weekend gambling was what got me through the week. It was all I could think of to get me through the boredom of work and everyday life.

But it wasn’t enough. As well as being a regular at the local betting shop, I’d joined a nearby casino. I began playing the Black Jack tables and roulette on Saturday nights. Often to try and win back my losses from the football, horses, dogs – whatever I’d bet on earlier that day.

Soon enough though, I’d be visiting the casino three, four, or five nights a week at the height of my gambling problem. When the bookies or the casino were shut, I was gambling online. I did it all; online poker, in-game betting, sports betting.

Gambling addiction stories. I got such a buzz from the wins, no matter how big or small. When I was up, I’d never walk away with my winnings. They’d go straight back on another bet, in search of a bigger rush.

My long-term girlfriend Sarah and I would get into blazing rows about how our money was just running through our fingers. I wasn’t just squandering my wages but I was dipping into our joint account too.

We were barely able to pay for food, let alone the bills and rent. The trouble is, the worse things got the more I turned to gamble to escape reality. I’d carry on regardless, gambling bigger stakes each time to try and dig us out of a hole and feel good about myself again. Neither of which ever happened.

The tipping point was when Sarah told me that we were expecting our first child. When Jasmine was born, I got a real wake-up call. I knew full well that, without help, I would gamble away our money. Money that we needed.

So I called Port of Call. They arranged for me to go into rehab. I’d have regular therapy sessions to help me to change how I was behaving and manage my impulses to gamble. It was tough. Not the sessions so much, but stopping. Occupying myself in other ways.

It was a long slog, but I stuck with my treatment programme and I’ve managed to stay off gambling completely. My life and my family are too important to me to ever change back to my old ways. If I could offer advice to anyone, it would be to get help now. It is the only way and you won’t regret it.

NHS Gambling Addiction

NHS gambling addiction. The government through the national health service body makes sure to look out for gambling-addicted struggling individuals through funds, health care and more.

If you have a problem with gambling and you’d like to stop, support and treatment are available.

Are you a problem gambler?

Try this questionnaire:

Do you bet more than you can afford to lose?
Do you need to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling?
Have you tried to win back money you have lost (chasing losses)?
Have you borrowed money or sold anything to get money to gamble?
Have you wondered whether you have a problem with gambling?
Has your gambling caused you any health problems, including feelings of stress or anxiety?
Have other people criticised your betting or told you that you had a gambling problem (regardless of whether or not you thought it was true)?
Has your gambling caused any financial problems for you or your household?
Have you ever felt guilty about the way you gamble or what happens when you gamble?

Score 0 for each time you answer “never”
Score 1 for each time you answer “sometimes”
Score 2 for each time you answer “most of the time”
Score 3 for each time you answer “almost always”

NHS gambling addiction. If your total score is 8 or higher, you may be a problem gambler.

Help problem gamblers

There’s evidence that gambling can be successfully treated in the same way as other addictions. Cognitive behavioural therapy usually has the best results.

Treatment and support groups are available for people who want to stop gambling:

GamCare offers free information, support, and counselling for problem gamblers in the UK.

It runs the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133) and also offers face-to-face counselling.

The National Centre for Behavioural Addictions includes the National Problem Gambling Clinic (including the Young Persons’ Problem Gambling Clinic) and the National Centre for Gaming Disorders.

If you live in England or Wales, are aged 16 or over, and have complex problems related to gambling, you can refer yourself to the National Problem Gambling Clinic. See if you meet the criteria for this service.

If you live in England or Wales, are aged 13 or over, and have complex problems related to gaming, you can refer yourself to the National Centre for Gaming Disorders.

NHS gambling addiction. NHS Northern Gambling Service provides specialist addiction therapy in the north of England, including the north Midlands. Find out about referrals and contacting the Northern Gambling Service.

Gordon Moody Association The Gordon Moody Association offers residential courses for men and women who have problems with gambling – email help@gordonmoody.org.uk or call 01384 241292 to find out more.

It also runs the Gambling Therapy website, which offers online support to problem gamblers and their friends and family.

Gamblers Anonymous UK Gamblers Anonymous UK runs local support groups that use the same 12-step approach to recovery from addiction as Alcoholics Anonymous. There are also GamAnon support groups for friends and family.

Self-help tips for problem gamblers

Do:

Pay important bills, such as your mortgage, on payday before you gamble
Spend more time with family and friends who do not gamble
Deal with your debts rather than ignoring them – visit the National Debtline for tips

Don’t:

View gambling as a way to make money – try to see it as entertainment instead
Bottle up your worries about your gambling – talk to someone
Take credit cards with you when you go gambling
For more self-help tips, see the Royal College of Psychiatrists website.

Gambling Addiction UK

Gambling addiction UK. The United Kingdom gambling industry is on the rise and many numbers have skyrocketed since the change of legislation for remote gambling back in 2014.

Playing online casino games, lottery, and betting, have been a popular form of entertainment in Great Britain for quite some time. We all know that almost the entire nation has a great passion for horse race betting, football betting as well as tennis betting.

When it comes to gambling in the UK and statistics, they are gathered and published two times on an annual basis. Gambling industry statistics is data collected for each sector and it is usually published in May and in November.

In other words, plungers, casino owners, analysts, writers and practically anybody else can access this information that is made publically available by the Gambling UK Commission.

The General Image of Gambling in the UK

Speaking of gambling, there are so many different types of it out there, both old and new ones. Sportsbooks offer to bet on different sports, Esports, and even virtual sports events, while casinos at notgamstop.com offer table gambling games, slots, lottery, and more.

Gambling addiction UK. To have a general idea of how often UK residents play at dice, how much they spend on it, and other statistics, let’s take a look at some facts:

30% of British residents played the National Lottery in 2019

47% of British residents engaged in some sort of gambling in the last month

The annual budget per head in the UK is £135.20, and £2.60 for a week

The total number of employees in the industry in 2019 was 98,174

The United Kingdom gives around £1.2 billion annually to gambling addiction

£1.6 billion from the National Lottery went to charity in 2018/2019

What type of gambling do they usually choose?

As already mentioned, almost 30% of British residents played the National Lottery in 2019, which makes this one of the most favoured categories.

Not to be confused with other types of lotteries and scratchcards, which are number two on the list of most popular gambling types in this part of the world. 13% of UK residents played a different type of lottery in 2019, while 10% of the whole nation scratched scratchcards.

Another immensely popular form of gambling loved by the Brits is sports betting. Sportsbooks seem to be quite popular as 7% of people living in Britain wagered on some of the many different sports betting markets available in 2019.

The top three bettors’ choices are football, horse racing, and rugby, which is not that strange since these are also the top spectated sports. Some other popular sports betting markets are tennis, cricket, and basketball.

The Amount of Money Spent on the Industry

Gambling addiction UK. If you are wondering how much Brits are spending on gambling, we should start with the average weekly expenses. The number of cash spent on wagering, playing casino games, or bingo in the UK varies from £4.20 to £1.50, depending on the wagerer’s income.

That is on average £2.60 every week for this sort of entertainment, and it might not seem that high.

However, when we think about the fact that an average risk taker spends at least £135.20 per year on this, the £1.2 billion spent per year on gambling addiction issues doesn’t sound that surreal.

After all, this is a centuries-old form of entertainment in this part of the globe, and it has become more of a cultural thing.

Gambling addiction symptoms

Gambling addiction symptoms. Gambling means that you’re willing to risk something you value in the hope of getting something of even greater value.

Gambling can stimulate the brain’s reward system much like drugs or alcohol can, leading to addiction.

If you have a problem with compulsive gambling, you may continually chase bets that lead to losses, hide your behaviour, deplete savings, accumulate debt, or even resort to theft or fraud to support your addiction.

Compulsive gambling addiction is a serious condition that can destroy lives. Although treating compulsive gambling can be challenging, many people who struggle with compulsive gambling have found help through professional treatment.

Gambling Addiction Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of compulsive gambling (gambling disorder) include:

Being preoccupied with gambling, such as constantly planning how to get more gambling money
Needing to gamble with increasing amounts of money to get the same thrill
Trying to control, cut back or stop gambling, without success
Feeling restless or irritable when you try to cut down on gambling
Gambling to escape problems or relieve feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or depression
Trying to get back lost money by gambling more (chasing losses)
Lying to family members or others to hide the extent of your gambling
Jeopardizing or losing important relationships, a job, or school or work opportunities because of gambling
Resorting to theft or fraud to get gambling money
Asking others to bail you out of financial trouble because you gambled the money away

Unlike most casual gamblers who stop when losing or set a loss limit, people with a compulsive gambling problem are compelled to keep playing to recover their money a pattern that becomes increasingly destructive over time.

Some people with a compulsive gambling problem may have remission where they gamble less or not at all for some time. However, without treatment, the remission usually isn’t permanent.

When To See A Doctor Or Mental Health Professional

Have family members, friends, or co-workers expressed concern about your gambling? If so, listen to their worries. Because denial is almost always a feature of compulsive or addictive behaviour, it may be difficult for you to realise that you have a problem.

If you recognise your behaviour from the list of signs and symptoms of compulsive gambling, seek professional help.

Causes

Exactly what causes someone to gamble compulsively isn’t well-understood. Like many problems, compulsive gambling may result from a combination of biological, genetic, and environmental factors.

Risk Factors

Although most people who play cards or wager never develop a gambling problem, certain factors are more often associated with compulsive gambling:

Mental health disorders. People who gamble compulsively often have substance abuse problems, personality disorders, depression, or anxiety. Compulsive gambling may also be associated with bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Age. Compulsive gambling is more common in younger and middle-aged people. Gambling during childhood or the teenage years increases the risk of developing compulsive gambling. However, compulsive gambling in the older adult population can also be a problem.

Sex. Compulsive gambling is more common in men than women. Women who gamble typically start later in life and may become addicted more quickly. But gambling patterns among men and women have become increasingly similar.

Family or friend influence. If your family members or friends have a gambling problem, the chances are greater that you will, too.

Medications are used to treat Parkinson’s disease and restless legs syndrome. Drugs called dopamine agonists have a rare side effect that may result in compulsive behaviours, including gambling, in some people.

Certain personality characteristics. Being highly competitive, a workaholic, impulsive, restless, or easily bored may increase your risk of compulsive gambling.

Complications

Gambling addiction symptoms. Compulsive gambling can have profound and long-lasting consequences for your life, such as:

Relationship problems
Financial problems, including bankruptcy
Legal problems or imprisonment
Poor work performance or job loss
Poor general health
Suicide, suicide attempts, or suicidal thoughts

Prevention

Although there’s no proven way to prevent a gambling problem, educational programs that target individuals and groups at increased risk may be helpful.

If you have risk factors for compulsive gambling, consider avoiding gambling in any form, people who gamble, and places where gambling occurs. Get treatment at the earliest sign of a problem to help prevent gambling from becoming worse.

Self-help For Gambling Problems

The biggest step to overcoming a gambling addiction is realising that you have a problem. It takes tremendous strength and courage to own up to this, especially if you have lost a lot of money and strained or broken relationships along the way.

Don’t despair, and don’t try to go at it alone. Many others have been in your shoes and have been able to break the habit and rebuild their lives. You can, too.

Learn to relieve unpleasant feelings in healthier ways. Do you gamble when you’re lonely or bored? Or after a stressful day at work or following an argument with your spouse? Gambling may be a way to self-soothe unpleasant emotions, unwind, or socialise.

But there are healthier and more effective ways of managing your moods and relieving boredom, such as exercising, spending time with friends who don’t gamble, taking up new hobbies, or practicing relaxation techniques.

Strengthen Your Support Network.

It’s tough to battle any addiction without support, so reach out to friends and family. If your support network is limited, there are ways to make new friends without relying on visiting casinos or gambling online.

Try reaching out to colleagues at work, joining a sports team or book club, enrolling in an education class, or volunteering for a good cause.

How To Stop Gambling For Good

For many problem gamblers, it’s not quitting gambling that’s the biggest challenge, but rather staying in recovery and making a permanent commitment to stay away from gambling.

The Internet has made gambling far more accessible and, therefore, harder for recovering addicts to avoid relapsing. Online casinos and bookmakers are open all day, every day for anyone with a smartphone or access to a computer.

But maintaining recovery from gambling addiction or problem gambling is still possible if you surround yourself with people to whom you’re accountable, avoid tempting environments and websites, give up control of your finances (at least at first), and find healthier activities to replace gambling in your life.

Gambling Addiction Test

Gambling addiction test. Are you wondering if you may have a problem with gambling addiction? Answer the following questions honestly and assess yourself

Have you ever felt guilty after gambling?

Do you ever gamble to try and earn extra money for bills?

Does gambling cause you to lose ambition for other parts of your life?

After a win, do you feel like you should go back to win more?

Do you care more about gambling than you do about your family or your welfare?

Have you ever committed a crime to get gambling money?

Gambling addiction test.

Have you ever considered suicide as a result of your gambling?

Have you ever tried to stop gambling, but found yourself gambling again?

Do you gamble to escape uncomfortable feelings or life circumstances?

Do you chase your losses?

Have you ever lied about how much you gamble or how much you lost?

Has gambling caused you to lose friends or become less productive at work?

Has gambling ever put you in so much debt that you had to borrow money to pay it off?

Gambling addiction test.

Have you excluded yourself from a casino, and thought about ways to still gamble?

Have you ever missed work or shown up late because of gambling?

Have you ever sold your things to get gambling money?

Do you gamble until you run out of money?

Gambling Addiction Statistics

Gambling addiction statistics. Below are gathered statistics on the betting percentage of UK citizens.

Over 45% of people in the UK gamble every month.

(European Business Review) (Statista)

There were 24 million adult gamblers in Britain in 2020, and close to half of them chose to bet online. Moreover, gambling statistics in the UK showed that 22% of gamblers placed a bet more than twice a week, and nearly a third did so at least once a week.

Another 30% reported that they gambled less than once a week to once a month, while under a sixth less than once a month.

How much does the UK spend on gambling?

(Gambling Commission) (online)

Gambling Commission statistics show that across all sectors, including the National Lottery, betting, bingo, arcades, and casinos, Brits gambled away £14.3 billion in 2018/2019, an insignificant decrease of 0.5% in comparison with the previous annual report.

On average, Britons wager £2.6 per week, which means that in a year, they part with around £135.

What percentage of gamblers make money in the UK?

(Beating Betting)

In a 2018 survey on gambling in the UK, 35.3% of respondents said they’d made a certain profit from gambling. There’s quite a discrepancy, however, between these claims and reports from bookmakers. Namely, they put the “winning” percentage at a low of 2-3%.

What percentage of gamblers lose money in Great Britain?

(Statista)

Based on a 2018 survey of almost 300 UK residents, nearly 70% believed that they’d lost less than £100 gambling. At the other end of the spectrum, 0.71% reported that they’d possibly frittered away tens of thousands of pounds so far.

Fewer than 3% of gamblers earn a living from gambling.

(Bleacher Report)

Gambling addiction statistics. Being a pro gambler may seem like an easy job, but the deck is stacked against them. The professional gambler’s salary in the UK varies greatly, depending on the month’s winnings.

Namely, for a full-time punter to make the average British salary of £26,500 by betting on football matches, they’d need a bankroll of around £150,000. Even more depressing, the best one can hope for is a meagre profit of 3 to 4%.

In March 2020, the number of active players increased.

(Gambling Commission)

According to the latest gambling statistics in the UK, the number of active players placing one or more bets online skyrocketed by 88%. However, although the number of players rose, there was still a drop in the number of bets per customer.

During the first lockdown in March, 58% of gamblers watched more TV.

(Gambling Commission)

Well, this is to be expected, since everybody was stuck at home. However, when we compare all others to gamblers, we see that only 42% of all adults spent more time in front of the telly. In addition, 51% of bettors consumed more online entertainment, whereas 53% viewed more news on the internet.

Nearly a third of gamblers said they’d tried new gambling activities during the lockdown.

(Gambling Commission)

Gambling addiction statistics. Due to the absence of elite sports because of the Covid-19 pandemic, 31% of respondents had tried out at least one gambling activity for the first time.

Specifically, UK betting stats indicate that 13% of engaged gamblers had hedged their bets on remote bingo, 12% on virtual races or sports, and 11% on online slots.

What age group gambles the most in the UK?

(Statista)

As a whole, the population that engaged in gambling the most was 35-64-year-olds.

More specifically, gambling participation was highest among Britons between the ages of 45 and 54, with 48.4% of them placing some sort of bet in 2020.

Younger adults and teens (16-24-year-olds) were the least likely to gamble—only 31.2% of them participated in a gambling activity last year.

Men have a higher gambling participation rate.

(BBC)

A survey conducted in 2018 showed that the participation rate for gambling among British males was 37%, whilst among women, it stood at just 28%.

Two-thirds of adult Scots gambled in 2019.

(Bangor)

In 2019, Scotland had the highest rate of adult gamblers in Great Britain at 66%. In turn, the betting rate in England was 56%, close to Wales’s 55%.

Gambling Addiction Conclusion

Gambling addiction conclusion. Gambling addiction is the uncontrollable urge to continue gambling despite the toll it takes on one’s life. Gambling is addictive because it stimulates the brain’s reward system much like drugs or alcohol can. Gambling addiction is the most common impulse control disorder worldwide.

Gambling addiction conclusion. Similar to addictive substances like Meth and Cocaine, gambling addiction is associated with the release of dopamine within the brain.

Addictive substances affect the brain’s reward system and release up to 10 times the normal amount of dopamine.

Continuous use then causes the body to develop a tolerance, as the natural production of dopamine is inhibited and the body needs more and more of the stimulating substance to receive the same rush.

Gambling addiction is a very serious condition that can destroy lives. Although treating a gambling addiction can be challenging, many people suffering from the disease have found help through treatment.

Further reading

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