UK gambling spend rises as World Cup expected to fuel betting activity

British consumers are spending more on gambling than ever before. This is according to new figures released by Nationwide Building Society.

The financial institution found that gambling expenditure among its customers increased by 9% during 2025 compared to the previous year. The number of individual gambling transactions also rose by 7%. This shows engagement is growing.

One of the most interesting findings was the level of spending among the heaviest gamblers. Nationwide reported that the top 10% of gambling customers spend an average of £745 per month. Why do we find this shocking? It’s because this actually exceeds the average monthly household spend on food and non-alcoholic drinks in the UK. This spending amount shows how significant gambling is in some people’s budgets.

Currently regulators, banks and gambling support organisations are maintaining close scrutiny of the market as there are concerns about gambling-related harm, which these figures could help to back up.

World Cup will likely boost betting activity

Attention is now turning to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament begins on 11 June and is being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Historically, we see that major international football tournaments like the World Cup increase betting volumes. This is quite a significant leap usually. Both regular gamblers and more casual ones participate during these times.

Globally, an estimated $35 billion was wagered during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This was a 65% increase if we compare to the 2018 tournament in Russia. If this event sees similar growth, the global betting turnover for the 2026 World Cup could approach $50 billion.

Nationwide's own survey of 2,000 gamblers also suggests the tournament could have a substantial impact on spending habits. More than two-thirds (68%) of respondents said they expect to spend more on gambling in 2026 than they did last year. Many said the World Cup was the main reason for this.

All of this suggests, that while gambling expenditure was already rising before the tournament, football's biggest event could accelerate that trend further.

Support services see rising demand

The increase in gambling activity also means an increase in demand for support services.

GamCare's National Gambling Helpline received 105,765 support requests during 2025. The charity reported that 996 callers were referred to support systems in January 2026 alone. This was a 48% increase compared to the same month a year earlier.

Importantly, those figures were recorded before the start of the World Cup. It suggests demand for support was already increasing independently of any major sporting event.

GamCare Senior Partnerships Manager Raminta Diliso said gambling harm often remains hidden until it begins affecting other areas of a person's life. The most common issues experienced by gambling-related harm are:

• Financial difficulties.
• Mental health challenges.
• Relationship problems.

The charity operates a 24-hour helpline. It offers counselling and support services across the UK. Nationwide also works alongside  GamCare as part of its customer vulnerability programme.

With betting activity expected to intensify during the World Cup, both operators and support organisations are likely to face increased attention.