Nearly half of adults in Great Britain have gambled in the past month, according to a major survey published by the Gambling Commission. The regulator said its latest findings show stable levels of participation but also stresses the potential harms linked to gambling, from financial strain to relationship breakdowns.
The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) is described by officials as “the world’s largest dedicated study of gambling participation, behaviours and consequences.” According to Andrew Rhodes, the Commission’s chief executive, the survey is “a key building block of the evidence base which helps government, industry and other partners understand both gambling behaviour and potential consequences from gambling.”
Who is gambling, and how?
The survey found that 48% of adults had taken part in some form of gambling in the last four weeks. But when lottery-only players were excluded, participation fell to 28%.
Online play was more common than in-person betting (38% versus 29%), though the gap was largely explained by people buying lottery tickets online. Stripping lotteries out, the figures reversed slightly: 18% gambled in person compared with 16% online.
The most popular activities were the National Lottery (31%), other charity lotteries (16%) and scratchcards (13%). On average, gamblers took part in 2.4 different activities over the past month.
Why do people gamble?
When asked about their experience, 42% of people who gambled in the past year rated the last time positively, 37% were neutral, and 21% negative. Without lottery-only participants, the positive share rose to 49%.
The most common reasons for gambling were “the chance of winning big money” (85%) and “because gambling is fun” (72%). More than half also said they played “to make money” (57%) or “because it was exciting” (56%).
Research published last month by the Commission focused on the reasons why players turn to the black market. Many gamblers, the Commission said, were attracted by “better odds and offers, wanting to play games that are unavailable in Great Britain, ability to use alternative payment methods (that is, not GBP), avoiding stake or spend limits, and lower barriers to entry such as minimal age or ID verification processes.”
Risks and consequences
The Commission measured harm using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). It found that 8.8% of adults scored 1–2, putting them at low risk; 3.1% scored 3–7, at moderate risk; and 2.7% scored 8 or more, indicating problem gambling. That top figure was “statistically stable compared to 2023.”
The GSGB also asked about wider consequences. The most severe outcome reported was “relationship breakdown due to own gambling” (1.6%). More frequent issues included “reducing spending on everyday items” (6.7%), “lying to family” (6.0%) and “using spendings or borrowing money” (5.7%).
Help-seeking rates remained low: 3.4% of gamblers had looked for support over the past year, with similar proportions turning to gambling services (1.2%), mental health providers (1.7%) and even food banks or welfare organisations (1.7%).
The survey also asked about the effects of gambling on others. Almost half (47.9%) said someone close to them gambled. Of those, 3.3% had sought help because of its impact.
Regulator pushes new rules
Rhodes urged the industry to act on the findings. “This year’s findings deepen our understanding of consequences from gambling and provide crucial insight into risk profiles among those who gamble most frequently. We strongly encourage operators to use this evidence to consider the risks within their own customer bases.”
He pointed to recent measures already in force: “We have already introduced light-touch financial vulnerability checks on those spending £150 a month, reduced the intensity of all online games by banning autoplay and slowing game speed, and tightened age verification in premises.”
From 31 October, new rules will mean “all gambling businesses must prompt their customers to set a financial limit before they make their first deposit.” The Commission is also piloting “enhanced frictionless financial risk assessments for those spending £1,000 within 24 hours or £2,000 within 90 days.”
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