EXCLUSIVE: Over 500,000 people in East Midlands willing to gamble £20 rather than save it
A survey was done by the UK Addiction Treatment group
Last updated 26th Apr 2023
Over half a million people in East Midlands would rather bet than save money during cost of living crisis, a new survey reveals
The UK Addiction Treatment Group has revealed that 650,000 people surveyed said if they were given £20 to spend on either placing a bet or putting it into savings, they'd take their chances and gamble with it- a choice they’d take in order to win big in order to get through the cost of living crisis.
Their survey revealed that 17% of respondents living in the East Midlands would opt for placing a bet, including the lottery, rather than put the £20 into savings; money that could be spent on feeding a family or heating a home during the cost of living crisis.
They asked the question “if you were given £20 toward something to help you relieve stress in the face of the cost of living crisis, which of the following would you choose to spend it on? Either place a bet (including the lottery) or put the money into savings”.
The news comes ahead of the imminent release of the Government’s long-awaited white paper review of the 2005 Gambling Act, a review that back in December 2020, Boris Johnson assured would result in this country’s gambling laws being “fit for the digital age”.
But the white paper is still nowhere to be seen, having been delayed and pushed back multiple times, but is believed to be imminent following the recent news that the Premier League will be self-imposing a voluntary front-of shirt ban of gambling sponsors by the end of the 2025/26 season.
The review is likely to include affordability checks- also known as financial risk checks- which experts believe will go some way towards preventing the likes of people being able to gamble thousands of pounds in minutes.
Only a few weeks ago, bookmaker William Hill was hit with a record breaking £19.2m fine for failing to protect customers and weak anti-money laundering controls after a customer was able to open an account, without any checks, and spend £23,000 in just 20 minutes.
The Gambling Commission is now 'seriously considering' revoking their licence.
The review is also set to include “smart” stake limits for online slots, rumoured to be limited to £2 per spin for those aged under 25, and £15 per spin for older players.