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
4.2 - Changes to gambling consequences through time
Participants described a variety of journeys with gambling consequences, often spanning many years or decades. These journeys are not linear and range from a progressive worsening of gambling consequences to journeys where a worsening was followed by improvements and to journeys where participants’ experiences with consequences changed very little over time. The types of changes described in this section were mainly caused or compounded by external factors which will be described further in the external factors section.
Rapid changes to experiences of gambling consequences
Some participants explained that after starting gambling the frequency of their activity and/or the amount spent increased in a relatively short period of time (within the time span of a few months to 2 years). In some cases, this increase in gambling meant a diversification of activities: for example, starting with scratchcards and lottery tickets and then adding (in person or online) casinos, or betting on sports or dog or horse races. Participants associated these changes with different external factors, such as using gambling as a coping mechanism following periods of stress or mental health problems, trying to supplement their income after losing their job or as a consequence of the cost-of-living crisis, or moving to online gambling.
‘The ease of direct debits and phone probably means that I maybe do more than I would otherwise. […] We wouldn't normally spend £5 a time if we went in the shop, but on the phone it's so easily done.’
– Male interview participant, aged 35 to 44
After rapid increases in gambling activity, participants reported experiencing negative financial consequences often alongside relationship issues and negative consequences to their mental and physical health (such as stress, anxiety, depression, poor sleep, and poor nutrition). Participants explained that seeing their situation rapidly worsen or, in some cases, cause arguments with friends or family, convinced them to stop or reduce their gambling.
Limited changes to experiences of gambling consequences over time
Another group of participants reported that their gambling activities had changed little over time. These participants took part in a wide variety of gambling activities, including betting on sports or purchasing lottery tickets and scratchcards. This group of participants were generally gambling within their means and reported negative consequences more rarely. Similar to those experiencing more rapid changes, a variety of external factors also were identified by this group of participants as having had an impact on how they gambled and the consequences they experienced. These factors included gambling only as a social activity, or taking part to ‘ fill the time’ when working from home.
‘I wouldn't say that I gamble much at all, but that is based on the fact that my dad is actually a gambling addict, […] I do have [a] complicated relationship with gambling, I'd say, because I think the fear of becoming addicted to gambling because I can see the impacts [it] has on my life, my mum's life, stops me from gambling as much as maybe the usual person - as much as my husband or a regular person in the street.’
– Female interview participant, aged 25 to 34
Returning to gambling after previous experiences of adverse consequences
Some participants explained that their experience with gambling was characterised by a period of a few years in which they had stopped gambling followed by a return to gambling in more recent years. Some of these participants described the time before stopping as a period of more frequent gambling and higher spending and experiences of adverse consequences. This group had often stopped gambling due to significant negative impacts they had experienced (such as relationship challenges), or a more general desire to change their life which was associated with changing jobs, starting a new relationship or stopping using alcohol or drugs (as is shown by the participant’s journey in Case Study 2). For this group, starting gambling again was usually characterised by lower spending and frequency, with lower negative consequences, and by the use of strategies or tools (for example, budgeting or self-exclusion tools) to reduce the risk of experiencing significant negative consequences again.
‘I feel like I've got a bit more self-control because I know when enough is enough, whereas four or five years ago it would be, oh, okay another half an hour and that's when I would have kept going. Now, I know about the tools that sites have on.’
– Female interview participant, aged 25 to 34
Case study 2: Jack, male participant aged 35 to 44
Jack started gambling aged 16, participating in lotteries and scratchcards. He liked that money spent on these forms of gambling sometimes goes towards charities. In his early 20s, Jack started a high-paying job which enabled him to spend around £1,000 a week gambling on lotteries and roulettes, without experiencing severe financial consequences. However, he did have to borrow money from family occasionally due to his gambling. His workplace environment encouraged alcohol and drug use, which Jack felt affected his decision-making around gambling and made him more ‘impulsive’, enjoying the thrill of betting large sums of money. In his late 20s, Jack changed job, which led to a reduced income, and abstaining from alcohol and drug use. His career change, alongside entering a long-term relationship, led to him stopping gambling. In his mid-30s, after a colleague talked to him about online gambling, Jack started gambling again online. Jack currently spends £70 to £80 a week gambling online and regularly plays new games. Despite spending less than when he was in his early 20s, Jack sometimes feels guilty about how much he spends on gambling and experiences low moods when he loses. In addition to this, when Jack returned to gambling, he tried to participate in gambling with family members, to make it into a more social activity. However, after experiencing judgement, he no longer discusses gambling with family members.
Case study 2: Jack, male participant aged 35 to 44
Timeline for case study 2.
Age
Experiences with gambling and gambling consequences
Age 16
External Factor: Stories about people winning National Lottery were very popular on newspapers and in everyday conversations - desire to get rich and be part of the winning stories
Age 21
External Factor: Increased spending on roulette and lotteries. Occasional negative financial impacts (borrowing money from family). Enjoyed excitement of gambling large amounts of money
Age 28
External Factor: Changed Job - lower income and different work culture. Entered long-term relationship
Age 34
External Factor: Exposure to online gambling apps through socialising at work
Age 39
External Factor: Introduction of new online games - enjoying the novelty
4.1 - Initial experiences with gambling Next section
4.3 - External factors
Last updated: 8 May 2025
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