The hidden harms of gambling – and how to prevent them

The gambling market in Great Britain is worth £15.1 billion. Gambling makes up 0.2% of all household spending in the UK, and this fraction is higher for low-income households. An estimated 2.5% of adults in Great Britain and 3.3% in Northern Ireland suffer from clinical levels of gambling harm (the negative consequences that are a result of gambling). And recently, the BBC reported there were 29,000 gambling ads in a Premier League weekend.  

But those are just figures on a page. Gambling harm is often invisible, and this is why it often gets overlooked by people without first-hand experience. It’s not just the empty bank accounts or mounting debts—it’s the frayed relationships, sleepless nights, and the quiet despair consuming someone's world. 

The role of stigma in gambling harm 

Even though gambling has such severe impacts on people’s lives, only 20% of people in the highest-risk category will ever seek formal treatment in their lives and 64% of those experiencing problems with gambling have never spoken about it with anyone. Stigma – the shame, embarrassment, and fear of judgment from others - is both a potential reason for this low rate of help-seeking and for why we don’t know enough about what kinds of harm people experience.  

Stigma likely also causes underestimation of gambling harm prevalence. The Australian Productivity Commission report on gambling suggests gamblers will often respond dishonestly to self-report screeners (questionnaires or surveys used to assess gambling behaviour and harm). Due to potential stigma, individuals may underreport the extent of their gambling and its consequences, making it difficult to get an accurate picture of the true scale of gambling harm. A better understanding of what people face in gambling addiction can create opportunities for better policy, and for people to engage meaningfully with those affected. 

Using AI to analyse and understand gambling harm 

In our work, we analysed online forum posts about gambling harms, especially by those who are trying to quit gambling or are on their way to recovery. Instead of relying on surveys (which can be unreliable, as mentioned above), we used AI methods to analyse these discussions. We also focused on people’s stories, rather than prevalence rates (the proportion of people experiencing gambling harm) or money lost, bringing human experiences and struggles back into the narrative. 

Recurring themes 

Retrieving more than 30,000 posts from GamCare, a publicly accessible online self-help forum, we used artificial intelligence methods to code and analyse the discussions, identifying which topics were most prominent.  

Some of the topics we found frequently in people’s discussions were: 

• The emotional rollercoaster. Feelings of guilt, shame, and despair were everywhere. People talked about how gambling left them emotionally drained, trapped in cycles of regret. But there was also hope—determination and a belief that things could get better. 

I have been going through my longest stint of not gambling (7 month) but I keep dreaming that I am gambling. I wake feeling low, depressed and disappointed in myself, it takes me ages to come round and realise that it was only dream. Does this happen to anyone else?

• Shame and self-blame. Instead of attributing gambling harm to systemic issues and how they influence behaviour, many attribute the harm to their own shortcomings. Due to the negative effects gambling has on those around them, self-harm is frequently mentioned in this context. The belief that the harm is one’s own fault appears to also be a barrier for formal help-seeking.  

I'm just another example of a life destroyed by gambling. The effects have left my life in ruins and just pointless with no hope for the future. If I never gambled again I will still be paying gambling debts until I'm an old man. I don't earn that much despite working 50-60 hours a week and all my wages go towards my debts. As the title says, how are you supposed to cope mentally? I'm just in a constant cycle of anger, shame, regret, depression, anxiety, etc, all the time and all at once. I have turned into a person that no one wants to associate with. I've become someone I never thought in a million years that I would become. Hopeless and depressed with no self respect or confidence. I literally have zero confidence. I have nothing to be confident or hopeful about. As I'm nearly 40 and with no possibility of improving myself/my circumstances, my desire for my own family in the future seems impossible or at least very unlikely.

• Relationships on the line. A major theme was the strain on personal relationships. Partners, families, and friends were often caught in the crossfire, with trust broken and connections damaged. 

The love of my life, the man I thought wanted me through good times and bad has told me it's over and I have to move out. He compared my lying to cheating on him.  And I don't blame him.  I have been gambling for 9 years on and off, amassing debts of £15000 total…. I have gone through that shame phase. Now I am prepared to do anything to be gamble free and in a loving relationship with the man I love. I have ruined our relationship with my mood swings, lack of money and lying. I really have lost myself because of gambling. I can't see a light at the end of the tunnel and wonder is it all worth it without him. I know I have to do it for myself but I can't do it alone. Can anyone offer any advice? I'm trying to be strong but I'm not sleeping or eating. This is my rock bottom. 

• The environment’s role. From relentless advertising to the easy accessibility of gambling venues and apps, users reflected on the external factors that fuelled their addiction. One such example is targeted ads for people who have struggled with gambling in the past. 

Daytime TV, and sporting events on commercial channels. I think it is damaging all round to allow this advertising so freely. It is all over my twitter feed too (as promoted/ads). And should betting shops be allowed advertising in their shop windows, considering there can be 5 along one short street. While I do take personal responsibility, I have began [sic] to realise that it is not all our fault, and the normalisation of the gambling industry is a very damaging thing.

What is the point of requesting a casino account to be closed permanently, never to be opened again, if the casino can just give you a bonus and re-open the account and also allow the customer to make more deposits, and lose more money? I have also requested several times … that i want my account closed, however they will just throw bonuses at me, and ask me again ‘Do you really want the account to be closed?’.  I will then play with the bonus, and lose it, and request once more to close the account, but they will just throw more bonuses at me.

• Difficulty in self-exclusion. When people take action and attempt to self-exclude from gambling – for example using GamStop (a free tool that allows people to voluntarily exclude themselves from online gambling sites) – they find that there are always easy ways around it, or that when their self-exclusion ends, the online gambling sign-on offers start coming in. 

Really and truly what is the point in self exclusion from bookies shops. You exclude from one, and it is not the most straightforward process, then another shop opens round the corner. Nobody seems to care if you lose everything you have in these evil machines. Those pathetic messages that appear on the screens of FOBT's do nothing to help a hardened addict such as myself.

The link between gambling addiction and broader life impacts 

One recurring theme was people being unable to stop gambling, despite its negative consequences. Notably, the most discussed harms were emotional/psychological and health-related, rather than financial. Similarly, in another major topic about the negative financial impacts of gambling, people engaged in frequent discussions about how gambling affected their work or studies. 

The findings show how different aspects of the gambling experience are connected and lead to various types of harm. For example, difficulty quitting gambling (rather than money loss) leads to emotional/psychological and health-related harms, whereas the loss of financial resources and accumulation of debts can lead to loss of employment or failing studies. By understanding how these harms are linked to specific stages of the gambling experience, we can better address and prevent them.  

Improving policy to reduce gambling harms 

One possibility for improving policy is around self-exclusion. Many forum users discuss how it is too difficult to self-exclude from all the gambling outlets, both in their area and online. It is easy to find a bookmaker that will let you gamble anyway or a website not covered by self-exclusion registries such as GamStop. Making this system more comprehensive, by requiring gambling sites to verify users with GamStop, would reduce the risk of individuals returning to gambling once they have self-excluded.  

Relationship harms are frequently highlighted in discussions of relapses. Strengthening the self-exclusion system could help reduce these relationship harms. 

Additionally, online gambling companies employ various tactics to encourage people to spend more money, such as withdrawal delays. Gambling sites may hold onto winnings for several days before paying them out, creating an opportunity for individuals to gamble again. People struggling with gambling addiction often find it difficult to resist the temptation to reinvest their winnings, leading to further losses. 
 
As financial losses can lead to employment and study harms (as shown above), improved policy interventions in this area could potentially safeguard productivity in the workforce, and protect young people  

Such patterns relate more to financial losses, which play into work and study harms, so this may be an area for intervention to protect young people from the negative effects on their studies and to safeguard productivity in the workforce. 

In conclusion, understanding the complex harms caused by gambling, particularly through the lived experiences of those affected, is crucial for creating effective policy solutions. By focusing on human stories and addressing both the systemic factors that fuel addiction and the tactics used by gambling platforms, we can better support individuals in their recovery and prevent further harm across society. 

Read the journal article: Psychology of Addictive Behaviors: The lived experience of gambling-related harm in natural language. van Baal, S. T., Bogdanski, P., Daryanani, A., Walasek, L., & Newall, P. (2024). Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.