UK Migrants use taxpayer handouts for gambling: 6,000+ spend £50 weekly in past year.

[CharlieH]

 

Thousands of asylum seekers have reportedly used government-issued prepaid cards—intended to cover essential living costs such as food, clothing, and toiletries—for gambling purposes, including in betting shops, amusement arcades, and casinos.

 

Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request by PoliticsHome reveals that up to 6,537 asylum seekers used their Aspen cards at gambling-related venues over the past year. These figures have prompted strong reactions, with critics calling for immediate action to prevent abuse of public funds.

 

The Aspen card is provided to asylum seekers who are awaiting decisions on their immigration status. It is meant to cover essentials for those unable to legally work or claim standard benefits. Those living in self-catered accommodation receive £49.18 per week, intended for non-alcoholic beverages, clothing, over-the-counter medications, toiletries, and similar needs.

Currently, around 80,000 individuals are in receipt of these cards while their asylum applications are processed. Many of them are housed in hotels paid for by taxpayers.

 

The Home Office has confirmed that it is launching an investigation into how these cards are being used. A spokesperson stated, “The Home Office has a legal obligation to support asylum seekers, including any dependants, who would otherwise be destitute.”

 

Although Aspen cards do not allow contactless or online payments and are intended for specific spending, they can be used to withdraw cash, including from ATMs inside gambling venues. While direct bets cannot be placed using the cards, the ability to access cash inside gaming establishments opens the door to misuse.

Data shows an average of 125 card users per week accessing funds in gambling locations. At the peak, 227 individuals used their cards in this manner in a single week last November. Notably, 177 used them during Christmas week, despite many gambling venues being closed for the holidays.

 

 

Critics argue that this misuse of taxpayer money is unacceptable. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called the revelations “an insult to taxpayers,” adding, “These people have illegally entered this country from safe nations like France, and now they are using public funds for gambling. If they can afford to spend money this way, they clearly don’t need it for essentials.”

Philp further criticized the government’s handling of border control, pointing to the increasing numbers of illegal Channel crossings and the growing reliance on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers. So far this year, nearly 20,000 people have arrived via small boats—a 50% increase over the same period last year.

 

The issue has sparked local backlash as well, with demonstrations erupting in locations such as Canary Wharf, Epping, and Diss. Public frustration appears to be rising over both the volume of new arrivals and how government support is being managed.

 

Paul Bristow, Conservative Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, suggested that this trend could be contributing to a local boom in gambling businesses. “Peterborough has seen a rapid rise in gambling establishments alongside an increase in men arriving on small boats,” he said. “It’s not uncommon to see these same individuals inside gaming centres over the weekend. There are serious questions to be asked.”

 

Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice also weighed in, saying the situation demonstrates a failure of the Home Office to monitor or control illegal activity among asylum seekers. “It’s a slap in the face to hardworking British citizens,” he said.

Meanwhile, concerns have also emerged about asylum seekers working illegally, especially in the gig economy. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has ordered a crackdown, particularly targeting those using services such as Deliveroo or Just Eat. Reports have surfaced of delivery bikes being stationed outside asylum hotels, raising suspicions about unlawful employment.

The government now plans to share the addresses of asylum-seeker accommodation with gig economy firms, instructing them to ensure they do not employ individuals from those locations. However, immigration expert Emma Brooksbank, from law firm Freeths, questioned the effectiveness of the measure. “It won’t be hard to avoid detection,” she warned. “These platforms are largely unregulated, and right-to-work penalties don't apply to them in the usual way. There’s little motivation for them to enforce compliance.”

 

As scrutiny intensifies over both financial and employment activity among asylum seekers, the government faces increasing pressure to introduce tighter controls and improve oversight.

 

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Daily Mail 2025-07-24

 

 

[Will B Good]

 

What idiot thought it would be a good idea to say here's a card, but it's only for essentials.....oh!...by the way you can also use it to withdraw cash from an ATM......F F S

[Will B Good]

13 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called the revelations “an insult to taxpayers,”

 

Aspen Card introduced by the Tories in 2017, cash withdrawals allowed from day one.

[Chomper Higgot]

Deal with the real villains, the gambling industry, nothing but parasites.

 

 

[JonnyF]

Nice one Keir.

 

Freeze the pensioners so the money can instead be spent on immigrants gambling habits.

 

It just goes from bad to worse with this government. 

 

 

 

 

[faraday]

2 hours ago, CharlieH said:

increase in men arriving on small boats.

 

What prissy, daft,  woke & wet description