So much of the general press around gambling in the UK in the last few years has been around affordability checks and Player Protection Tools. Naturally, any industry wants to make sure it is doing whatever it can to protect the most vulnerable in society and that technological leaps and improvements in the wider gambling product are not at the expense of a sub-section of punters.
Factor in more general trends concerning the UK and global economy; a cost-of-living crisis, economic stagnation and the looming threat of what AI advances might mean for the working landscape and it is entirely understandable that the betting and casino industry is keen to take a somewhat proactive stance.
Payday, whenever it comes, is a very natural focus for both administrators (like the UK Gambling Commission) and the betting companies and casinos. Most affordability checks share the same weekly, monthly and annual targets, so when wages hit a player’s account is of prime importance for player protection products.
Let’s have a look at what the data tells us and whether there are changes in betting behaviour when a player’s earnings hit their bank accounts.
When is “Payday”?
This is a crucial question because, in a globalised, interconnected world, there is no specific date in the month that covers all paydays. The last day of each month and the first day of each month apply to many workers, of course, but when you factor in the self-employed and those with multiple jobs and multiple income streams, the waters become somewhat muddy.
Studies and surveys in the last few years have generally proved inconclusive and organisations are understandably reluctant to make strong and definitive conclusions about when the “danger periods” are for gamblers, simply based on payday. However, this should not stop us from seeing some broader issues at stake. On that basis, taking “payday” as the last and first day of the month is a perfectly workable starting point.
What Do We Know About UK Gambling Patterns?
Online Banking Transactions
One of the advantages of online gambling is that we have plenty of banking transactions, which provide very useful data. Unlike the pre-internet days, when cash was king and gambling patterns were much harder to discern, the online betting landscape of 2025 is almost entirely digital. Banks like Monzo and HSBC have carried out detailed studies, so we have plenty of data to work from.
Patterns of Play – BIT & Monzo Report (PDF)
Gambling charities and help organisations have also carried out and commissioned works and the basic conclusions are that the majority of gamblers in the UK bet relatively small amounts, with a minority of gamblers betting significantly higher amounts. Most gamblers don’t bet every day, but when they do, these sessions tend to cluster around weekends. This makes sense in terms of access to more leisure time and a concentration of sporting events for sports-bettors to get stuck into.
Analysis of Play Among British Online Gamblers (PDF)
Geographical Variations
Punters with significantly lower incomes are much more likely to increase their gambling at payday times. There is also some disparity in UK punting patterns based on geography. Poorer, more deprived areas of the country, many in the post-industrial heartlands, like the Midlands, North-East and North-West, show gamblers are far more likely to tailor their play to times of the month, clustering around traditional payday.
Cost-of-Living Crisis
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, it won’t have escaped your attention that EVERYTHING seems more expensive these days. Whether it is your weekly shop, your council tax or your monthly energy bills, we are all feeling the squeeze across the board.
This means most people have much less disposable income than in previous years and gamblers are no different. Therefore, payday becomes even more crucial when deciding how much we have to play with. The lower your income, the greater this payday effect will be.
What Are the Most Discernible Changes at the End of the Month for UK Gamblers?
1. Punting More
Bank surveys show an increased level of deposits to online gambling sites at traditional payday times. So, we can safely conclude that UK punters DO increase their frequency and size of bet at the end/beginning of each month.
2. More Gambling Sessions
As well as increasing stakes, UK players also tend to cluster more wagering sessions around the payday spots. Inevitably, the pre-payday weeks will show a strong drop-off in gambling time, clearly indicating a lack of funds and/or a natural tightening of the belt as the coffers run dry. Then, once payday arrives, the number of days with a bet, or series of bets, increases.
3. Increased Losses
It is inevitable that, as sessions and deposits increase as payday arrives, so losses also increase. This may be due to the increase in “risky” betting behaviour, such as increasing stakes or betting on more events, playing more slots and for longer periods, etc.
This could also be down to playing “higher risk” games, such as Roulette and Blackjack at online Live Casinos. This form of gambling can lead to much quicker losses than “lower risk” betting, such as horse-racing and football Accas (lower stakes) and buying lottery tickets (low stakes, big reward).
4. The “Tapering Off” Effect
Along with the payday effect also comes another clear trend of betting and online casino play; that of a “tapering” off factor as the month progresses. After the initial increase in the amount and frequency of deposits, the majority of UK gamblers see their activity decline incrementally.
This will then further heighten the payday effect the following month, as the whole cycle starts again.
There are some variations on this theme. The Monzo and HSBC surveys actually see some spike in deposits and activities in the build-up to the end of the month, possibly in anticipation of fresh funds arriving imminently. The middle of the month, roughly days 8–12, sees the lowest level of betting engagement. This could be explained by being the period furthest from payday, as well as being the time when a number of the monthly bills kick in.
Conclusion
We have to be careful not to be too dogmatic when analysing this data. We can pinpoint and highlight trends, but shouldn’t be too definitive about what they show or prove.
However, there is undoubted evidence that the “payday effect” is a real thing and that the vast majority of punters do tailor their wagering behaviour around the timing of their monthly income.
This pattern is exacerbated by geographical factors, which are closely linked to income disparities that exist across the UK. In other words, the poorer the area, the more likely we are to see a clear “payday effect”.
So, what can we learn from this? Certainly, bookmakers and online casinos can use the data to structure and amend their Player Protection Tools. Heightened awareness around the payday period can help to nip any signs of problem gambling in the bud and, with the assistance of AI tools, casinos and bookmakers can begin to develop bespoke options, tailored to individual punters that more accurately predict betting patterns.
