GAMSTOP survey highlights dangerous gambling habits by male students

A new survey by Gamstop has sought to highlight worrying gambling behavior shown by one in six students, and male students in particular. According to the study, one in six students are in fact qualified as problem gamblers, although the severity of the problem will range, Casino Guru News learned in an email press release.

However, this is four times higher than the general population, and what it could mean is that young people in the United Kingdom are bracing for a life of struggle with gambling-related harm.

Students spend almost the same on gambling as they do on groceries

This is the result of the Annual Student Gambling Survey, the fourth to have been released by GAMSTOP and Ygam. According to the survey findings, 17% of students were at a high risk of gambling harm, while another 29% were at a moderate risk of gambling harm. GAMSTOP CEO Fiona Palmer had this to say:

"The Student Gambling Survey is an important piece of research that 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."

What is more, male students are likely to actually spend an average of £33.54 on gambling, the same amount they spend on groceries - £36, and they are similarly more likely to be problem gamblers than female students.

One in ten students is also spending anything between £51-£100 on gambling every week, pushing their expenses well above gambling and well above what they would normally spend on groceries.

Another worrying trend underpinned by the new survey is that many students believe that they can gamble to make money, which has been disproved as a false and not found in facts. 45% of all students say that they do gamble in the hopes of making money, and when factoring in only male students, this percentage inches up to 50%.

What is even more worrying is that 17% of students are using student loans to fund their gambling habits.

Awareness among students about problem gambling help is going strong

Students are also likely to be influenced by peers, and pushed into gambling because of peer pressure, which has long been a well-established fact when it comes to motivators behind gambling behavior.

Men are simply more likely to feel a need to prove to their peers that they can gamble, as it grants them a level of social acceptance.

The Student Gambling Survey, which was conducted by Censuswide, interviewed 2,000 students from 17 universities across UK cities and 49% of those people report to have gambled at least once in the 12 months leading to the questions.

Despite all of this, however, there is a silver lining. One in two students – 53% - are aware of problem gambling support options at their university. Another 59% of students who gamble argue that they would feel comfortable about accessing such support, but the numbers could be better.

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