Existing evidence shows that higher gambling expenditure is associated with worse financial outcomes, including financial distress, lower financial inclusion and poor financial planning. There is also evidence that people who are at greatest risk of gambling-related harm are more likely to use consumer credit to fund gambling.

There is less evidence about the ways in which gambling and problem debt are linked; how people experience gambling-related debt; or the extent to which debt advice can help people address gambling-related debt. This research was conducted to address these important gaps in knowledge. Our evidence base comprises analysis of management data, qualitative interviews and a stakeholder round table.

Three key insights from the research are that:

1. The intersection between harmful gambling and access to consumer debt can lead to extremely complex situations. While debt advisors cannot be expected to be experts on harmful gambling (or other non-financial vulnerabilities), they nonetheless need to take it into consideration when interacting with clients and giving advice, in line with the FCA’s guidance on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers and the new Consumer Duty.
2. If harmful gambling is not addressed, then any debt resolution is likely to be temporary. Debt advisors and creditors should therefore routinely signposting people at risk of gambling harm to a range of different sources of help (including things they can activate themselves like gambling blocks), as our findings show there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer.
3. Affected others are the unseen casualties of gambling-related debt. Our small sample of affected others suggests that more can be done to support people harmed by someone else’s gambling and gambling-related debt in a timely way, including to protect their own finances and recognise signs of financial or economic abuse.