Young adults betting to escape debt: what a new US survey really shows

A new US survey has raised questions about younger adults who look to gambling to repay debt. They’re also turning to AI for financial guidance. This research was commissioned by debt settlement company National Debt Relief and is focused on American adults rather than a global population.

Though interesting, the findings cannot establish how often British young adults bet to escape debt.

What the survey measured

Wakefield Research surveyed 2,000 US adults online. This included 550 millennials and an expanded Gen Z sample of 500. The release describes the sample as nationally representative. It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that it does not publish fieldwork dates, full question wording or weighting details. All of these are important considerations.

Regular participation covered sports betting, casinos, fantasy sports, prediction markets, day trading and lotteries. Among these participants, 65% of Gen Z and 49% of millennials reported trying to repay debt through such activities.

There are some other caveats too. This one-off survey cannot show whether participation is increasing. It also can’t tell us whether anyone successfully cleared their debts. Importantly, its commercial sponsor sells debt settlement services, which readers should bear in mind when considering the accompanying recommendations.

Does the AI finding relate to betting?

The published AI findings concern financial questions, budgeting and judgement-free advice. They do not establish use for betting tips or bankroll management or show whether the same respondents combined AI with gambling.

Treating the two findings as evidence of an AI-assisted betting trend would therefore go beyond the published results. Establishing that connection would require questions about specific chatbot uses and their outcomes.

So what about the UK?

Britain has separate evidence of gambling harm among younger adults. In the Gambling Survey for Great Britain 2024, 2.7% of adults scored eight or above on the Problem Gambling Severity Index. Among 18–24-year-olds who had gambled during the previous year, the figure was 10.2%.

These figures measure different things from the US survey. A severity score cannot be directly compared with a reason for participating. The Commission also cautions that prevalence estimates vary with survey methodology.

Operators already have duties to respond. Gambling Commission guidance requires remote licensees to consider vulnerability and act promptly where indicators are identified. Financial difficulties are explicitly recognised as a relevant factor. A customer disclosing that they are betting to pay bills should therefore prompt consideration of potential harm.

Gambling cannot provide a reliable repayment plan

The financial problem is straightforward: casino games give the house a mathematical advantage. As an illustration, a game with 96% theoretical return implies an average £4 loss per £100 wagered over extensive play. That is turnover, not deposits, and it guarantees nothing about an individual session.

“Gambling is not a good way to make money or get out of debt.” – StepChange

That is StepChange’s published advice. The charity recommends addressing gambling and debt together and offers free debt support.

Financial limits can restrict deposits. Time-outs temporarily block an account. These tools can reduce access or spending, but cannot make gambling profitable.

For people who need to stop, GAMSTOP provides free self-exclusion from online operators licensed in Great Britain. StepChange offers a practical starting point for dealing with existing debt.