A survey of 503 UK gamblers found that betting often rises around major sporting events and in warm, sunny weather. The findings were released as England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway coincided with a heatwave, which the report described as a particularly high-risk moment for gamblers.
In IFA Magazine’s account, 43% of all gamblers said they increase betting during major sporting events or tournaments. Among sports bettors, the figure rose to 50.6%, and the survey said levels of increased betting climbed to as high as two-thirds in certain cities.
The same survey found that 20% of respondents gamble more when the weather is nice. Men were more likely than women to say this, at 23% versus 17%.
The report also pointed to a financial aftershock. It said 57% of bettors have relied on at least one financial coping mechanism after gambling, rising to 85% among 18- to 34-year-olds and falling to 12% among people aged 55 and over.
Lowell’s gambling-and-debt guidance defines gambling debt as money owed because someone could not afford how much they were spending on gambling. It says such debt can involve a debt collection company, a credit card issuer or even family and friends, not just the gambling company itself.
The guidance also cites a 2021 Citizens Advice estimate that the average value of gambling debt was £10,000 and that 3.3 million people in the UK were dealing with gambling debt. It adds that the Gambling Commission put the UK industry’s total gross gambling yield at £15.1 billion as of March 2023, up from £12.7 billion in the period from April 2020 to March 2021.
A separate Gambling Commission blog on World Cup betting drew on a Yonder study that recontacted people who had bet on the tournament or played a related free-to-play game. The commission said 811 people responded to both surveys.
In the 11 to 12 weeks after the World Cup, 34 people in a subgroup reported placing a sports bet and 72 reported non-National Lottery gambling in total. The commission concluded that for about a third of new or returning gamblers, betting on the World Cup led to continued re-engagement.
Lowell said gambling can become more dangerous when people use credit cards or other borrowing to cover expenses they have lost through betting. It said people regularly dip into money reserved for bills, debt repayments or everyday essentials, and that the resulting financial strain can feed stress, anxiety and isolation.
