Recent changes in gambling are thought to be contributing to a rise in problem gambling. An increased access to different ways of gambling, which provide easy, quick and discreet opportunities to gamble.
Like other addictive activities, gambling can have serious consequences for the individual and those around them.
If you do gamble it is important to recognise the signs of it becoming a problem. If you experience any of the signs below :
- Increasing your bets
- Being secretive about your gambling
- People commenting on your gambling
- Gambling to win back lost money
- Constantly thinking about gambling
- Becoming stressed when trying to stop
- Using money to gamble you need for other things i.e. bills
- Using borrowed money or stealing to gamble
- Spending more money than intended including all your wages
You can be a responsible gambler. Many social occasions with family, friends and others could involve a gambling type situation, for example a day at the races or a sporting event. However think about setting a limit if you are thinking of placing a bet. Setting aside an amount of money you can afford ensures you aren't spending money needed for more important things that may be come an issue if you lose it. When you begin to feel bad about your gambling, then go home or stop placing bets. STAY IN CONTROL.
If you’re with a friend who looks like they have lost the ability to stay in control then a friendly bit of advice and support is what good friends do for each other. A conversation to make a plan to keep to your limits before a gambling situation takes place is a good approach where gambling may be part of the planned entertainment.
Gambling can look very different depending on where it happens and how it works.
Betting money on the result of sports games or events i.e. football, horse racing, predicting results
Risks: can become addictive because results feel “close” or predictable even when they’re not.
Games where players bet money for a chance to win more money i.e. slots, blackjack, poker
Risks: designed to keep people playing for long periods and fast wins and losses can affect emotions strongly.
Gambling through websites or apps i.e. online casinos, betting apps
Risks: available 24/7, easy to hide from parents or friends, often includes flashy rewards and bonuses, easy to spend money quickly without noticing.
Buying tickets for random prize draws i.e. national lotteries, scratch cards.
Risks: Small chance of winning big prizes can encourage repeated spending.
Features linked to video games (Roblox, EA Sports FC, Fortnite) that involve chance or money i.e. loot boxes, skin betting, in-game item gambling
Risks: Can blur the line between gaming and gambling, some systems encourage spending for random rewards.
Games where people pay to try winning prizes i.e. claw machines, coin pushers, prize arcades
Risks: Players may keep spending trying to “almost win.”
Informal gambling between friends or groups i.e. card games for money, betting on dares or competitions, fantasy sports with entry fees
Risks: Can create pressure to join in socially.
There is no system that can outsmart the odds and increase your chances of winning. Keeping track of previous results, knowing all the rules, being a good gaming player and/or coming up with a combination. None of these methods will help you win or increase your chances of winning. The fact is the results are always random and a chance you take.
This is mostly true for the majority of us. At some point probably everyone will have a gamble on something at sometime. That could be a scratch card, a friendly bet with a friend, a raffle ticket purchase, a lottery ticket or a day out with others that may involve a bet being made for example at a football match. Although this is true, and for many something that doesn’t become problematic, it can also turn into something more regular for others.
Very true. Every year people contact services such as gamblers anonymous and Beacon Counselling Trust to seek support for problematic gambling. Many of these people have developed a pathological problem. In other words they have become obsessed with their gambling becoming more persistent or habitual and causing many other problems in their life such as relationship difficulties and extreme debt problems. Gambling addiction also causes problems with family, difficulty with studies, holding down a job, lying, stealing, feeling depressed and irritable when trying to stop or chase money lost on bets.
At some point you may win. However, the gambling industry stays in business because most people lose their money and only ever win back a fraction of what they have lost. You might get a decent win at some point but the odds are always stacked against you ever winning more than you will lose.
Young people do gamble! It may not always be as obvious as adults visiting casinos or betting shops. Online gambling also makes it more accessible for young people to be tempted to gamble. in 2025, 30% of 11 - 17 year olds had spent their own money on gambling activities. 23% of young people spent their own money on regulated forms of gambling, including playing arcade games, which are legally accessible to young people. Young people are more likely to be exposed to gambling related advertisements online particularly via social media (49%) or apps (47%).
This is not true. It is much more likely that you will lose more money in an attempt to make back your losses. Many problem gamblers who have addressed their problem will express how risky this is in losing more and more money and developing huge debt when trying to chase a big win. Remember the gambling industry relies on your continued betting to make money. The phrase ‘the bookie always wins’ in many ways is actually a very real situation.
Luck, good omens and gut feelings all count for nothing. A winning streak just doesn't exist. A win is always based on an independent and random chance that gamblers take and there is nothing that can maintain a series of wins. Most people who develop gambling problems report a ‘big win’ as the main reason that they began to spiral into more and more gambling problems believing that another win or winning streak would come along but didn’t.