An annual student survey in the UK has found that male students who gamble are spending almost as much on their gambling as on the weekly food shop.
The data comes from Ygam and the self-exclusion scheme GamStop and it also finds the participants who gamble are four times more likely to experience gambling harms compared to the general population.
This is the fourth Annual Student Gambling Survey, with male students more likely than females to be in the problem gambling category and their mean spend on gambling is almost 1.7 times higher.
🎓 NEW: Today, we’re publishing the findings from the latest Annual Student Gambling Survey, commissioned by Ygam and @gamstopuk1.
Conducted by @censuswide this is the fourth iteration and the largest study of its kind, with 2,000 UK students participating.
Once again, the… pic.twitter.com/kC06NzdMmi
— Ygam (@YgamUK) March 3, 2025
As for equating it to the weekly food shop, men’s mean spend on gambling is £33.54 per week (roughly $42.63), while their grocery bill is £36 (around $46).
“Almost one in ten of all student gamblers spend between £51-£100 per week on gambling – significantly more than their average weekly food shop,” the study cites.
Male students spend more on gambling than females
One in four male participants were found to take part in online sports betting, which is the most popular form amongst students – with this category of people betting on online sports an average of 91 days of the year.
As for the reason why, nearly one in two students (45%) say they do it ‘to make money,’ rising to 50% amongst male students. But the reality is different as 40% say it has affected their university experience and one in ten have struggled to afford food. A total of 17% are using their student loan to fund their gambling hobbies.
Within the announcement of the study, the Chief Executive Officer at GamStop Fiona Palmer states the research confirms the need for targeted support for the student community.
“Although gambling has decreased slightly in universities, the risk of gambling harm is far higher than in the general population and students need to be educated about the consequences of gambling in the expectation of making money.
“We know from the university roadshows we run with Ygam that there is an appetite amongst students to learn more about the support available, which includes self-exclusion to take a break from gambling”.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
