Key Findings
- Weekly gambling losses among UK university students have surged to £50.33, representing a near-doubling from the previous year’s £27.24
- Overall student gambling participation dropped to 65% from 78% in 2022, yet active gamblers are wagering significantly higher amounts
- The proportion of students gambling specifically to generate income rose to 53%, compared to 45% in 2024
- Cryptocurrency investment participation reached 37% of surveyed students, with male students (51%) significantly outpacing female students (25%)
- Young adult registrations with Gamstop (ages 16-24) increased 40% during the latter half of 2025
Recent findings from a comprehensive survey involving 2,000 UK university students reveal that active gamblers are now losing more than £50 weekly on average. This represents an alarming increase from the £27.24 reported in the prior year.
Conducted in December 2025, this marks the fifth consecutive annual Student Gambling Survey commissioned by gambling prevention charity Ygam and Gamstop, the national self-exclusion program. Research firm Censuswide executed the study, which found 65% of respondents had engaged in some form of gambling within the past twelve months.
Despite the participation rate declining from its 2022 peak of 78%, students who continue to gamble demonstrate increasingly problematic patterns. Key indicators including weekly expenditure, betting frequency, and overall financial risk have all escalated.
The National Lottery emerged as the leading gambling activity at 31% participation, with online sports wagering following closely at 29%. Sports betting revealed a pronounced gender disparity: 41% of male students participated versus just 17% of female students.
Male students consistently wagered substantially more across all categories. Their average weekly gambling expenditure reached £64.89, while female students averaged £30.93. Notably, nearly one in four student gamblers exceeded £50 in weekly spending.
Income Generation Increasingly Motivates Student Gambling
An escalating proportion of students identified income generation as their primary gambling motivation. Among active student gamblers, 53% cited “making money” as their principal reason—an increase from 45% recorded in 2024.
The primary funding source for gambling activities was employment income at 52%. Personal savings contributed 37% of gambling funds, while 21% of students acknowledged using student loan money for gambling purposes.
Sports bettors demonstrated the highest frequency patterns, placing wagers approximately 116 days annually. Online slot machine players gambled roughly 103 days per year. National Lottery participants averaged 65 annual gambling days.
Applying the Problem Gambling Severity Index methodology, researchers classified 18% of student gamblers as experiencing problem gambling behaviors. An additional 30% fell into the moderate-risk category. Male students and those from Mixed, Black, or Asian ethnic backgrounds exhibited elevated problem gambling scores.
The 18% problem gambling rate does represent improvement from 24% in 2023, indicating some effectiveness in harm reduction initiatives.
Nevertheless, nearly half of student gamblers reported negative impacts on their academic experience. Approximately 15% experienced food insecurity difficulties. Others reported missing social activities, lectures, or coursework deadlines. Around 6% had contemplated withdrawing from university due to gambling-related issues.
Cryptocurrency Investment and Gaming Purchases Expand
Beyond conventional gambling activities, 37% of surveyed students reported cryptocurrency investment participation. The gender gap proved substantial: 51% of male students invested in cryptocurrency compared to 25% of female students.
Video gaming participation was nearly universal at 85%. Among gamers, 75% had purchased randomized chance items such as loot boxes—up from 66% previously. More than half of these students categorized loot box purchases as a gambling form.
Social media platforms have emerged as increasingly influential in shaping gambling behaviors. Friends remained the strongest influence at 36%, but social media platforms followed closely at 34%. Researchers observed that heightened digital exposure correlates with increased spending levels and more frequent gambling activity.
Gamstop documented a 40% surge in registrations from individuals aged 16-24 throughout the second half of 2025. Currently, nearly 60,000 people under age 25 are registered with the service—a 75% increase spanning five years.
Fiona Palmer, Gamstop’s CEO, emphasized the continued importance of self-exclusion mechanisms. Emily Tofield, CEO of Ygam, called on universities and student unions to address gambling harms with equivalent urgency to alcohol and substance abuse issues.
January 2026 witnessed a record 233 referrals to the Money Guidance Service for gambling-related financial problems—nearly triple the January 2025 figure.
