A recent study has provided candid insight into the social barriers and psychological hesitations UK players face when discussing their gambling habits.
The findings coincide with the launch of the company’s new campaign to “break the silence around conversations on betting,” initiated as part of Safer Gambling Week 2025, which runs from November 17-23.
The study’s results indicate a prevalent culture of secrecy and embarrassment surrounding sports betting in the UK. Nearly half (47%) of all British bettors admitted to having downplayed their sports betting habits specifically to protect their social reputation.
This internal pressure is further compounded by a reluctance to seek assistance: one in three UK bettors stated they would rather lose money than ask someone for help when placing a wager, while 32%admitted to feeling genuinely uncomfortable seeking betting advice in general.
Notably, one in ten wagerers confessed to feeling outright embarrassed when seeking such advice.
The financial fallout of this silence is also significant. The study revealed that Brits are highly uncomfortable discussing their losses, with 47% of surveyed players indicating that going into debt would be the only reason they would discuss issues around gambling in the first place.
The threshold for seeking professional help for gambling issues appears relatively low for some; nearly 24% of Brits said they would consider professional help after losing as little as £100 in a single week.
Creators of the study collaborated with Liz Karter MBE, a UK therapist specializing in gambling addiction. Karter provided expert commentary on the psychological difficulties of cessation, noting that withdrawal is a very real experience, even without substances like drugs or alcohol.
Regarding the gambling habits of UK players, she explained that individuals become dependent on the “highs” or the “numbing feeling of escapism” provided by gambling, making it extremely difficult to let go of that dependency. The findings underscore the industry’s continued need to promote accessible, non-judgmental resources during campaigns like Safer Gambling Week.
Liz Karter MBE, UK Therapist:
“Lots of people find that overall their pattern of gambling can be ok, but then they have times when they might describe it as going on a bit of a binge. In some cases, somebody might have been gambling for five, 10, 20 years or more, so when they stop gambling there is a very real withdrawal. People often say to me ‘how can there be a withdrawal from gambling because it’s not like drugs or alcohol’, but somebody has become very dependent on either the highs that they get from gambling, or that numbing feeling of escapism. To let go of that feels really really difficult.”
