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.<\/p>\n
The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) is described by officials as \u201cthe world\u2019s largest dedicated study of gambling participation, behaviours and consequences.\u201d According to Andrew Rhodes, the Commission\u2019s chief executive, the survey is \u201ca key building block of the evidence base which helps government, industry and other partners understand both gambling behaviour and potential consequences from gambling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Who is gambling, and how?<\/strong><\/p>\n 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%.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Why do people gamble?<\/strong><\/p>\n 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%.<\/p>\n The most common reasons for gambling were \u201cthe chance of winning big money\u201d (85%) and \u201cbecause gambling is fun\u201d (72%). More than half also said they played \u201cto make money\u201d (57%) or \u201cbecause it was exciting\u201d (56%).<\/p>\n Research published last month by the Commission<\/a> focused on the reasons why players turn to the black market. Many gamblers, the Commission said, were attracted by \u201cbetter 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Risks and consequences<\/strong><\/p>\n The Commission measured harm using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). It found that 8.8% of adults scored 1\u20132, putting them at low risk; 3.1% scored 3\u20137, at moderate risk; and 2.7% scored 8 or more, indicating problem gambling. That top figure was \u201cstatistically stable compared to 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n The GSGB also asked about wider consequences. The most severe outcome reported was \u201crelationship breakdown due to own gambling\u201d (1.6%). More frequent issues included \u201creducing spending on everyday items\u201d (6.7%), \u201clying to family\u201d (6.0%) and \u201cusing spendings or borrowing money\u201d (5.7%).<\/p>\n 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%).<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n