Report
Understanding the impact of increased cost of living on gambling behaviour - Final report
Gambling Commission's research report with Yonder into the behaviours and motivations of gamblers during the current period of high cost of living in Great Britain.
Contents
- Introduction
- Methodology
- How to read this report
- Summary of findings
- Personal finances and cost of living
- Financial comfort and concerns around cost of living
- Relationship with gambling
- Impact of cost of living on gambling behaviours
- Gambling has stayed the same
- Gambling because it’s fun but will make cutbacks if needed
- Gambling is an inherent part of life
- Change in gambling behaviour
- The number of occasions on which you have spent money on these gambling activities
- The amount of money spent on these gambling activities
- The amount of time spent gambling on these activities
- Typical stakes
- Motivations for gambling
- Conclusions
- Appendix A - Gambling activities
- Appendix B - Reading longitudinal tables
- Appendix C - Motivations for gambling – subgroup analysis by statement
Summary of findings
Personal finances and relationship with gambling
Qualitative investigation revealed that gamblers typically have high confidence in their ability to manage their finances and there is consistency in what is essential to prioritise spending on and what is more nice-to-have.
With regards to how the cost of living has impacted gamblers, three categories emerged: those on the lowest income who have been significantly impacted, the squeezed middle, and those with a high income who have become more aware of their spending but have made little to no changes.
The increase in cost of living has not caused all gamblers to change their behaviours. Those who mainly play on the National Lottery, or which are more occasional gamblers have not felt any need to change their behaviours. Others have made adaptations in order to keep gambling, by cutting back on other outgoings which are deemed non-essential (such as takeaways and new clothes). Then there are those who are cutting back on gambling in order to manage during the cost of living.
Financial comfort and concerns
Initial quantitative analysis showed that a majority of surveyed respondents had signalled the need to take steps to make their income go further. However, there were several common sub-groups that consistently agreed with the statements shown in this section, showing concerns over their financial status between wave 1 and wave 3. This includes:
- those aged between 25 to 54 years
- women
- those in the DE socio-economic grade
- those with a lower household income (between £7,000 to £14,000 a year)
- those with a long-standing condition or disability
- people with children aged 18 years or under
- households with 3 more people
- both homeowners with a mortgage
- those currently renting
- those with a non-white ethnic background.
Changes in gambling behaviours
As established in earlier reporting, most surveyed gamblers reported that they had not made any changes to their gambling behaviour throughout the tracked period of increased cost of living. The few gamblers that did make changes were more likely to have decreased their gambling behaviour, rather than increase them.
A sub-group analysis revealed that increases in gambling behaviours were, broadly, most likely to be reported by:
- those aged between 25 to 34 years old
- those with a household income of more than £55,000
- those who have a longstanding mental health condition.
Gamblers aged 25 to 34 years were also the most likely to have consistently reported increases in their gambling behaviours between waves 1 and 3 of tracking.
Motivations for gambling
A minority of gamblers (less than 1 in 10) agreed that they had used gambling to supplement their income on a regular basis, to help pay household bills, to pay for luxuries they wouldn’t normally buy, or to help offset loans and/or credit card debt. Among these individuals, ethnic minorities, those living with 4 or more people in the household, and those with at least a university degree were most likely to agree with these motivations for their gambling.
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Last updated: 27 February 2024
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