EPIC Comment: University Life Gambling Study

EPIC Risk Management has noted the report, by the YGAM youth gambling charity and Gamstop, the national tool for gamblers who want to bar themselves from online betting and gaming, into betting at UK Universities. 

The report and story published today (Tuesday 18 January) in the Guardian newspaper reveal how this research found people racking up debts and missing out on university life to fund betting. This shows the urgent need for more work in Universities from an education, prevention and harm minimisation perspective. 

In the survey:

• 80% had gambled.
• 41% said it harmed their university experience (missing lectures, etc).
• The mean #gambling spends for students is £31.52 a week.
• 35% had used loans, overdrafts or borrowed from friends to gamble.
• 46% said that making money was their motivation whilst 52% said it made them feel excited.

EPIC Risk Management CEO, Paul Buck, stated today: ‘Much more needs to be done with students of all ages and in particular at universities. First-time independence, away from home, access to loans, peer pressure, 24/7 access. At least three of my team started gambling at university, including myself and these figures today are a stark reminder that harm still has the potential to exist in this demographic.”

EPIC’s Head of Delivery (CSR & Education), Patrick Foster, added: “The stats published today highlight the need for education in our schools and universities. We are proud to work with circa 50,000 young people, aged 14-24, every year but so much more needs to be done to prevent harm to our next generation.”

It is of EPIC Risk Management’s opinion, this is a population that has not had the support around this issue that it should and we are committed to finding ways to support this high-risk group and preventing gambling-related harm.

EPIC Risk Management works to prevent gambling from harming people and organisations. Working across the highest risk sectors for gambling-related harm, EPIC has worked in 23 countries on ground-breaking harm-minimisation programmes.