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Progress Report on the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms

ABSG progress report 2020

Published
26 June 2020

Last updated
27 February 2024 - Changes

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  1. Contents
  2. Gambling has stayed the same

Gambling has stayed the same

These gamblers have not changed the frequency or amount they spend on gambling. These gamblers were typically National Lottery or EuroMillions players who felt there had been no impetus to change their gambling habits, due to their regular spend being such a minimal amount. Whilst they recognised that they may occasionally spend more if there was a significant roll over, overall, they were unlikely to increase the amount of time and money they spend gambling or explore other types.

“I don’t think [my gambling] has really changed. Mentally, there's more motivation to buy tickets but I don't think actually in reality, because I don't often think about it unless I see an ad to. I'd say it's not changed.” – Female, Unchanged gambling behaviour from wave 1 to wave 3.

Frances1, 63, retired, “My gambling has stayed the same”

Frances is 63, is married with two grown up children and lives in the South West. She has been retired for a few years and has a very stable income due to an excellent pension fund. She is very confident with her money and considers herself to be very savvy. She is an active switcher of utilities and manages her budgets carefully.

She currently feels very pessimistic about the future. This is largely because of how the country is being impacted by the cost of living and how much harder it is for her children to rent or get on the property ladder.

Personally, she does not feel that the increases have affected her. She is trying to be more careful but her behaviour has not changed as a result of the increases.

She does not consider herself much of a ‘gambler’. She has been known to place bets on the horses and football in the past but that was when her children were young and it was a fun thing for them to all to do. Now the only gambling she does with any regularity is the National Lottery. She tops up her account so that there is always £10 in there but does not give it much attention otherwise. She has not changed her gambling at all as a result of the increase in cost of living.

She considers playing the National Lottery to ultimately be a positive thing (as it’s going towards good causes) and whilst she would love to win the money as it would transform her children’s lives, she has no expectations that this will happen.

“I feel very pessimistic about the country and economics and price rises and everything. But my personal circumstances are such that I haven't really been affected by it.”

“I just think well, if you're not in it, you're not going to win it. So I buy a ticket so I'm in it. But I guess realistically, I think I'm not going to win anyway. So I'm not going to waste lots of money buying lots of tickets.”

“It's not part of like a life plan that I'm going to buy a lottery ticket to win [my children] money. I've got a plan of how we can help them but that doesn't actually include gambling, that's much more of an ad hoc thing.”

References

1 Names and identifying information have been changed.

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