Affordability crisis for gambling industry as rising cost of living causes half of active UK gamblers to reduce spend

A new poll has found that half of all active gamblers in the UK are expecting to either stop gambling altogether or reduce their spend due to the pressure on their finances from the rising cost of living.

The poll was conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Affordability solutions provider Department of trust (DoTrust) in mid-March 2022 amongst a representative sample of current, active gamblers.

• 32% of respondents said they will spend less on gambling in the coming months while a further 18% say they will stop playing entirely.
• 59% said the reductions are directly due to pressure on their finances.
• 11% of respondents said they were already struggling to meet even essential bills and expenses.
• 43% said they were consciously cutting back on non-essentials while 38% said they were watching what they spend without, as yet, making any changes.

According to Charles Cohen, chief executive and founder of DoTrust, the findings should be an alarm bell for a gambling sector already under increasing pressure to ensure players are able to afford their gambling.

“Inflation is at levels not seen for decades and this is translating into a fast moving affordability crisis for the gambling industry. Wait-and-see is not an option: operators need real time financial data more than ever,” Cohen said.