As of 2025, 10% of the UK population takes part in regular betting, both online and offline, with sports betting leading the way. In fact, the UK sports betting market generates an estimated £2.48 billion annually.
Yet, despite these high numbers, one issue sits quietly beneath the surface: the stigma of seeking advice and talking openly about betting behaviours.
To better understand why, we conducted a survey of 500 UK-based sports bettors, exploring how people feel about asking for advice, how stigma affects their behaviour and what might help bettors to open up.
Responses were segmented by age and gender to uncover how perception, confidence, and caution vary among UK bettors.
At its core, this campaign aims to create understanding, reduce stigma, and empower bettors to make confident, responsible choices. By listening to how people really feel about gambling, we can help shape the next chapter of a more open, self-aware betting culture in the UK.
How Often Do Bettors Seek Advice?
Seeking advice when betting can provide perspective, accountability, and strategic insight. These are all things that are often harder to maintain when keeping your betting habits to yourself.
While seeking advice might seem like a simple step, our research shows that many bettors rarely do it.
Almost half (49%) of Brits say they don’t typically ask for help from friends or professionals when placing a sports bet, with over a quarter (29%) of UK sports bettors never asking for help from friends or professionals when placing a bet.
This means the majority of bettors operate in isolation, trusting instinct over shared experience or informed guidance.
Gender also plays a role. Male bettors are more reluctant to seek advice, with 31% saying they never ask for help, compared to 26% of women. This may reflect social norms that frame advice-seeking as weakness, with some men equating it with a lack of confidence rather than a smart step toward better decisions.
Respondents aged over sixty-five are the least likely to seek help, with more than half (55%) always betting independently. In contrast, 18 to 34-year-olds appear more comfortable discussing their choices, with just 18% saying they always place bets alone.
These findings suggest that advice-seeking in betting isn’t just about knowledge; it's about confidence, perception, and connection.
Encouraging bettors to share experiences and seek guidance can reframe advice-seeking from a sign of weakness into a mark of strength, one that supports smarter, more informed decisions.
But if advice can improve outcomes, why do so many still hold back?
The Stigma of Asking for Help
Even when advice is clearly beneficial, many bettors hesitate to seek it, not because they don’t want help, but because of how they fear it might be perceived.
Discomfort, embarrassment, and self-consciousness strongly shape whether people ask for support. Third-party research shows stigma is felt most by younger adults, women, and minority groups, with 62% of Brits believing people with gambling issues are judged negatively.
Our survey reflects this: over a third of UK sports bettors (32%) feel uncomfortable asking for advice, and 11% feel embarrassed about it.
Women report slightly more discomfort than men (33% vs 31%), and fewer women than men are willing to ask for advice (54% vs 60%).
Women are also more likely to protect their reputation by downplaying their betting (52% vs 47%) or hiding how often they bet (13% vs 10%).
Stigma extends beyond advice-seeking. Nearly half of Brits (49%) admit to downplaying their activity to protect their reputation, 11% hide how often they bet, and 18% conceal spending.
Among 18-24 year-olds, that rises to 75%. Women are also more likely than men to hide spending (19% vs 17%).
These findings show that stigma isn’t just about hiding losses. It’s about identity, reputation, and self-image. Bettors often avoid asking for advice or underreport their activity until something forces change, like a major loss.
What Triggers Openness for UK Bettors?
Many bettors delay asking for help, sometimes until it’s far too late. Over a third of UK sports bettors (34%) would rather lose money than seek advice. Among men, the figure is 34% (compared to 33% among women), and it rises sharply to 43% among 18-24-year-olds.
One in three (30%) only open up after a big loss, with 17% admitting they do so reluctantly. Shockingly, more than one in ten (12%) never confides in anyone about their betting habits, even after major losses.
Broken down by gender, women are more likely than men to delay conversations on their habits until losses mount (19% vs 9%), while nearly half of bettors aged 18-24 and 25-35 admit to only speaking up after a significant setback (46% vs 45%).
Some refuse professional help entirely, as 13% of UK bettors say they wouldn’t seek it, no matter how much they lost in a week. Others set thresholds: almost a quarter (24%) would need to lose £100 a week before reaching out, while 18% say losses would need to hit £500.
So what finally pushes bettors to open up?
The tipping point is almost always money.
Nearly half of UK bettors (47%) say that fears of debt would prompt them to seek help, rising to 50% among those under 25. For 25-34 year olds, debt is the top trigger (42%), while 45-54 year olds are most worried about missing rent, bills, or mortgage payments (33%).
The message is clear: waiting for a major loss makes the harm worse. Early openness helps prevent financial, emotional, and relational fallout, keeping bettors in control and making safer choices.
And when they do decide to open up, the question becomes: who do they turn to?
Who Are the Preferred Support Systems for UK Bettors?
Opening up about betting habits is vital for both financial stability and mental well-being. But who do bettors trust most when they need support?
For many, it’s personal connections. A close friend is the top choice, with 37% confiding in someone they trust.
Professional help, however, remains far less common: only 12% turn to a GP or mental health specialist, and just 18% feel comfortable speaking with a therapist or online service.
Gender shapes support-seeking, too. Men are most likely to confide in a close friend, while women turn first to a partner or spouse. Women are slightly less likely than men to approach a GP (11% vs 13%), while men are more inclined to engage with betting communities (15% vs 13%).
Generational differences are also clear. Younger bettors (18-24) lean on family members, those aged 24-54 prefer close friends, and over-65s are least likely to seek support at all.
The reliance on personal networks highlights a gap: while friends and family can provide emotional reassurance, professional support offers the expertise needed to address underlying issues and prevent harms from escalating.
Normalising professional help, alongside openness with loved ones, could encourage earlier intervention, protecting bettors’ finances, mental health, and long-term wellbeing.
Introducing AskGamblers Talks with Liz Karter, MBE
The latest research shows that only one in 200 people who engage in harmful gambling seek access to specialist treatment to combat addiction.
In light of this, AskGamblers has teamed up with one of the UK’s leading therapists specialising in gambling addiction, Liz Karter, MBE.
Featuring on AskGamblers Talks, Liz will take part in a six-part series that allows those who are unable to seek support to get help from the comfort of their own homes within their ultimate safe space.
It will include Liz answering real, anonymous questions from bettors, offering expert advice on opening up and staying in control.
The first instalment will include advice on the most requested theme: How to stay in control and avoid overspending, as over a third (36%) of Brits expressed an interest in needing help relating to this issue.
Make sure to tune in and hear what Liz has to say about the most pressing issues bettors highlighted in our survey.
Methodology
We commissioned a survey of 500 UK-based sports bettors using TLF, with data divided by age and gender. The survey was conducted in October 2025.
