Key Findings
- British university students engaged in gambling are now losing an average of £50.33 weekly, representing almost double the £27.24 figure from the prior year
- Student gambling participation dropped to 65% from 78% in 2022, yet active gamblers are wagering significantly higher amounts
- Among student gamblers, 53% cite earning money as their main motivation, rising from 45% the previous year
- Cryptocurrency investment has attracted 37% of surveyed students, with male participation (51%) substantially exceeding female involvement (25%)
- Young adults aged 16-24 registering with Gamstop increased by 40% during late 2025
Recent research examining 2,000 British university students reveals that gambling participants are experiencing average weekly losses exceeding £50. This represents a near-doubling from the £27.24 recorded twelve months earlier.
Conducted during December 2025, this fifth annual Student Gambling Survey was carried out by Censuswide for gambling support organization Ygam and nationwide self-exclusion platform Gamstop. Results showed 65% of students participated in gambling activities at least once during the preceding twelve months.
Though overall participation has declined from the 78% recorded in 2022, current gambling participants demonstrate increased intensity. Weekly expenditure, playing frequency, and financial commitment have all risen substantially.
The National Lottery emerged as the leading gambling activity at 31% participation, with online sports wagering following closely at 29%. Sports betting revealed significant gender differences, attracting 41% of male students versus just 17% of females.
Male students demonstrated considerably higher gambling expenditure overall. Men averaged £64.89 in weekly spending compared to women’s £30.93. Approximately one-quarter of student gamblers wagered more than £50 each week.
Income Generation Drives Student Gambling
Increasing numbers of students identify earning money as their primary gambling motivation. Among student gamblers, 53% indicated that “making money” represented their chief reason for participating. This marks an increase from the 45% recorded in 2024.
Salary or employment income served as the most common funding source for gambling at 52%. Student savings contributed 37%, while 21% acknowledged using their student loan funds for gambling purposes.
Sports betting participants gambled most frequently, placing wagers on approximately 116 days annually. Online slot machine players engaged in gambling roughly 103 days per year. National Lottery participants averaged 65 annual gambling days.
Utilizing the Problem Gambling Severity Index assessment tool, researchers classified 18% of student gamblers as experiencing problematic gambling behaviors. An additional 30% were identified as moderate-risk gamblers. Male students and those from Mixed, Black, or Asian ethnic backgrounds demonstrated elevated problem gambling indicators.
The 18% problem gambling rate actually represents a decrease from 24% in 2023, indicating some improvement in harm prevention initiatives.
Nevertheless, approximately half of student gamblers acknowledged that gambling negatively affected their university experience. Roughly 15% reported struggling to afford adequate food. Additional impacts included missing social gatherings, lectures, or coursework deadlines. Around 6% indicated they had contemplated leaving university due to gambling-related issues.
Cryptocurrency Investment and Gaming Purchases Rise
Beyond conventional gambling activities, 37% of students disclosed cryptocurrency investment involvement. Gender disparities were pronounced, with 51% of male students investing in digital currencies compared to 25% of female students.
Video gaming participation reached 85%, and among gaming participants, 75% had purchased randomized chance items such as loot boxes. This represented an increase from 66% the previous year. More than half of these students viewed loot box purchases as a gambling form.
Social media platforms have emerged as growing influencers on gambling participation. While friends remained the primary influence at 36%, social media platforms followed closely at 34%. Researchers observed that heightened digital exposure has corresponded with increased spending levels and more frequent gambling engagement.
Gamstop documented a 40% surge in registrations from individuals aged 16-24 throughout the latter half of 2025. Nearly 60,000 under-25s now utilize the service, representing a 75% increase across five years.
Fiona Palmer, CEO of Gamstop, emphasized that self-exclusion continues serving as a vital protective measure. Emily Tofield, CEO of Ygam, called upon universities and student organizations to address gambling-related harms with equivalent seriousness to alcohol and substance abuse issues.
During January 2026 alone, a record-breaking 233 referrals reached the Money Guidance Service regarding gambling-related financial difficulties, nearly triple the January 2025 total.
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