More than 6,000 asylum seekers have used taxpayer-funded payment cards at betting shops and casinos over the past year, prompting an urgent Home Office investigation into the misuse of public funds.
Data obtained through Freedom of Information requests revealed that 6,537 asylum seekers attempted to use their government-issued ASPEN cards for gambling between July 2024 and July 2025. The revelations have sparked fierce political debate about the use of taxpayer money intended for basic necessities.
The ASPEN cards, which are loaded with up to £49.18 per week for those in self-catered accommodation or £9.95 for those in fully catered hotels, are designed to help asylum seekers purchase essential items including food, clothing and toiletries whilst their claims are processed.
Scale of Gambling Activity
Home Office data showed that gambling attempts peaked in November 2024, when 227 asylum seekers successfully used their cards at gambling venues in a single week. The lowest recorded activity was in July 2024, with 40 incidents reported.
On average, 125 asylum seekers per week used their cards with what the Home Office described as “gambling-related merchants”. These transactions occurred at physical venues including casinos, slot machine arcades, betting shops and national lottery retailers.
While the chip-and-pin ASPEN cards cannot be used for online gambling or contactless payments, asylum seekers were able to use them at physical gambling locations or to withdraw cash from ATMs located within or near gambling venues.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told LBC: “You shouldn’t be able to use ASPEN cards for this. Support for asylum seekers in the UK, it is not a lot of money, it is about £7 a day I think for essentials, but you should be using that for essentials.”
Political Backlash
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp condemned the findings, telling PoliticsHome: “It is shocking that over 6,000 illegal immigrants have attempted to use hard-working British taxpayers’ money to gamble. They have illegally entered this country without needing to – France is safe, and no one needs to flee from there.”
He added: “The British taxpayer has put them up in hotels, and now they slap us in the face by using the money they are given to fund gambling. These illegal immigrants clearly don’t need the money they are given if they are squandering it at casinos and arcades.”
Paul Bristow, Conservative Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, suggested the issue may be contributing to growth in the gambling industry in his area. “Peterborough has seen a huge increase in the number of gambling establishments and gaming centres, and a huge increase in men who’ve arrived on small boats,” he said.
ASPEN Card System
The Asylum Support Enablement (ASPEN) card system provides financial support to approximately 80,000 asylum seekers currently in the UK. The fluorescent orange cards are issued by Prepaid Financial Services (PFS), a subsidiary of EML Payments Ltd, under contract with the Home Office.
According to government guidelines, the cards should only be used for essential purchases including “clothes and footwear, non-prescription medicines, travel, food, non-alcoholic drinks, toiletries, laundry, toilet paper and communications. The Home Office has the capability to monitor all transactions made with the cards.
Research by universities including Oxford and Glasgow has previously highlighted concerns about the ASPEN card system, describing it as socially and financially isolating for asylum seekers. Critics argue the bright orange colour makes users highly visible and potentially vulnerable to abuse.
Wider Context of Illegal Working
The gambling revelations come amid broader concerns about asylum seekers engaging in illegal employment, particularly in the gig economy. This week, Immigration Enforcement officers conducted raids in Wood Green, North London, where delivery riders suspected of working illegally were questioned and detained.
The operation followed reports that asylum hotels were being used as hubs for illegal delivery work, with some asylum seekers allegedly earning up to £1,000 per week through food delivery platforms including Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats.
One rider wearing a Just Eat uniform was among those questioned, while another man in plain clothes was searched and placed in an Immigration Enforcement van. Similar raids have taken place at the Thistle City Hotel in Islington, which had reportedly been used as a base for illicit gig economy employment.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced measures to crack down on illegal working, including sharing the locations of asylum hotels with delivery companies to prevent unauthorised employment. The government has warned that businesses found employing illegal workers face fines of up to £60,000 per worker.
Hotel Protests and Tensions
The issue of asylum accommodation has sparked protests across the country. This week, around 150 activists surrounded the four-star Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf following false rumours about asylum seeker transfers.
Tower Hamlets Council confirmed the hotel would be repurposed for temporary asylum accommodation, stating: “We are aware of the Government’s decision to use the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. It is important that the Government ensures that there is a full package of support for those staying at the hotel.”
More serious unrest occurred in Epping, Essex, where protests erupted outside The Bell Hotel following the arrest of a 38-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker charged with sexual assault. Eight police officers were injured during violent clashes that saw protesters attacking police vehicles.
Government Response
A Home Office spokesperson confirmed: “The Home Office have begun an investigation into the use of ASPEN cards. The Home Office has a legal obligation to support asylum seekers, including any dependants, who would otherwise be destitute.
The department indicated it was working on technical solutions to prevent gambling transactions in future. A source said: “If any individuals issued with ASPEN cards have succeeded in misusing them in the way suggested, then urgent action will be taken to correct that fault.”
The investigation comes as the government faces mounting pressure over asylum costs. Housing asylum seekers in hotels currently costs taxpayers £5.77 million per day, with the average nightly rate per room standing at £118.87.
Rising Numbers
The controversy emerges against a backdrop of increasing small boat arrivals. Some 23,534 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year – a 48 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Critics argue that the ability to gamble with taxpayer funds while being housed at public expense undermines public confidence in the asylum system. Supporters of asylum seekers counter that the weekly allowances are minimal and that the vast majority use their support appropriately.
The Home Office’s investigation is expected to examine both the technical failures that allowed gambling transactions and potential consequences for those who misused their cards. Under current rules, asylum seekers who abuse the system face having their support discontinued.
As the government grapples with record numbers of asylum claims and spiralling accommodation costs, the gambling revelations have added fuel to an already heated debate about Britain’s approach to asylum and immigration.
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Image Credit:
Meme artist XVALA with hand gesture, standing near graffiti artist Banksy’s Steve Jobs Mural in Calais, France (2017) – Image by XVALA, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
