Report
Qualitative research on the consequences of gambling
Qualitative research on the consequences of gambling: follow-up interviews with participants from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain
Contents
- Executive summary
- 1 - Introduction
- 2 - Methodology
- 3 - Overview of impacts of gambling on participants
- 4 - Participants’ journeys with adverse or severe consequences from gambling
- 5 - Interrelation of different adverse or severe consequences from gambling
- 6 - Preventing and reducing consequences
- 7 - Conclusion and recommendations
- Appendix A - Qualitative research on the consequences of gambling
4.1 - Initial experiences with gambling
Participants who took part in interviews were of varying ages and life experiences and had varied experiences with gambling. Some participants had first taken part in gambling in recent years and others had experiences spanning decades. For some, their first contact with gambling was during childhood or adolescence, often starting with observing parents or other family members who gambled (and in some cases witnessing them experience adverse consequences), but also directly participating in gambling activities. This included playing cards with family and friends for money (albeit often only wagering small amounts), betting on sports and horse or dog races, or using fruit machines in arcades and other shops. Case Study 1 demonstrates the journey of one participant who had early experiences with gambling consequences due to a family member experiencing harm. This participant had positive experiences of gambling in their 20s, before first experiencing adverse impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other participants reported starting gambling later in their life (at varying points from their 20s to their 40s), in some cases linked to a desire to earn more money (for example, with increased costs related to having children) or due to the influence of friends made later in life.
Case Study 1: Steven, male participant aged 35 to 44 years
Steven had early exposure in childhood to negative gambling consequences due to the experiences of a close family member. As an adult, Steven started working in a low paid role, and took part in occasional gambling, mostly during trips to casinos with friends. These experiences were largely positive but due to having a low income, he felt the impact of any financial losses more significantly. In Steven’s 30s, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he moved from gambling in casinos to online. A series of wins through online gambling led Steven to increase the frequency of his gambling, and he first started experiencing negative consequences. At first these consequences were financial; debt and increased credit card loans. These financial challenges were made worse by external factors in Steven’s life, for example increased costs as his young children got older, and a rising cost of living. Stress related to these financial consequences then impacted Steven’s mental health. In recent years Steven experienced the loss of a family member, and he described using gambling as a release from challenges in his life and his experience with grief, leading to further negative consequences on his finances and mental health. Steven is now exploring support options for his experiences with gambling.
Timeline for case study 1: Steven, male participant aged 35 to 44
Timeline for case study 1.
Age
Experiences with gambling and gambling consequences
Age 10
External Factor: Family member experiencing gambling harm
Age 25
External Factor: Start of low paid work later leading to greater impact of financial losses related to gambling.
Age 30
External Factor: Having a family and children getting older – increased costs.
Age 38
External Factor: Covid-19 pandemic – move to online gambling. Win streak starting negative experiences.
Age 40
External Factor: Cost of living crisis – increase in gambling to try and increase income.
Age 41
External Factor: Influencing event - bereavement
Age 43
External Factor: Influencing event - bereavement
Participants described taking part in a range of different gambling activities at different points in their gambling journey. Some participants initially took part in gambling in person but then moved to online gambling, others had always gambled online, while a further group of participants opted for a mix of online and in person gambling. Similarly, participants had varied initial experiences with adverse consequences, influenced by patterns of gambling participation as well as wider life events and circumstances. The following sections detail this variety of initial adverse consequences experienced by participants.
Negative financial consequences as initial adverse experiences from gambling
A common first experience of negative consequences described by participants involved issues linked to finances. This was tied to spending more on gambling than was affordable for a certain period (ranging from months to several years). These negative consequences varied in terms of severity, from having less money for leisure activities and other personal expenses, to being unable to pay for utility bills or rent, to missing mortgage payments and becoming unhoused.
‘I was spending all my salary on [gambling] - and I wasn't paying my mortgage and I just was spending it all. I barely was eating at times.’
– Female interview participant, aged 45 to 54 years
These financial consequences occurred at different points in participants’ journeys with gambling. Some participants started gambling as a fun, sometimes social, activity and did not experience any negative financial consequence for several years until one or more external factors intervened (more details on external factors are described in Section 4.3). These external factors (such as becoming unemployed or separating from their spouse) either increased the frequency of gambling and/or the amount spent or reduced their disposable income, leading to adverse consequences. Other participants reported spending more than they could afford on gambling early in their journey, and in these cases participants highlighted external factors as a catalyst for their challenges with gambling (for example, going through a difficult period of their life and using gambling as a coping mechanism or using gambling to make up for the loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic).
‘Then it's just after COVID, or just during COVID, and funds were low […]. It was difficult and I thought, how to maintain and that's when I got the first taste and I kind of got... From COVID, I just kept betting and I was on a bit of a winning streak and I thought, well... From then onwards, it just has gone downwards.’
– Male interview participant, aged 35 to 44 years
Negative relationship impacts as initial adverse experiences from gambling
A group of participants reported relationship issues as their initial adverse experience from gambling. In some cases, this was tied to conflict about money spent on gambling, particularly in relationships with shared financial responsibilities (such as rent, bills, mortgages and/or the costs of raising children). Participants reported being judged negatively for their spending, even if they had gambled within their means, because of the perception that money could have been spent elsewhere. This could lead to conflict within relationships. In other cases, this linked to stigma related to gambling participation. For example, a participant described how they felt stigmatised by their daughter when she became aware of their gambling. This participant did not report any financial issues directly related to gambling but felt judged by their own daughter who had a negative opinion of gambling and often remarked that the money spent in gambling could have been used for other purposes.
‘So, it was like the stigma surrounding it, it was almost like, oh God, you're a gambler. You're addicted to gambling now, even if I put a fiver on a Lottery; that was just like the negative connotation that my mum or my family might have surrounding it.’
– Male interview participant, aged 35 to 44
Introduction to participants’ journeys with adverse or severe consequences from gambling Next section
4.2 - Changes to gambling consequences through time
Last updated: 9 May 2025
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