Key Moments:
- The latest Gambling Survey for Great Britain found that 48% of adults had gambled in the past 4 weeks, with this figure dropping to 28% when excluding lottery ticket buyers.
- In 2024, 2.7% of Great Britain’s adults registered a score of 8 or higher on the Problem Gambling Severity Index, which remains steady compared to 2023.
- The UK Gambling Commission has introduced rule changes including financial vulnerability checks and requirements for consumer deposit limits.
Comprehensive Survey Highlights Gambling Trends in Great Britain
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has released the second annual report from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, regarded as the largest global study focused on gambling behaviors, participation, and consequences. Conducted by the National Centre for Social Research and the University of Glasgow, and assessed independently, the survey serves as a key component of the regulator’s ongoing research into the sector.
Headline Findings from the 2024 Survey
Among adults aged 18 and over, 48% participated in gambling activities during the last four weeks. However, this figure declines to 28% when respondents who only purchased lottery tickets are excluded. The research also reveals that, among adults who gambled in the past year, 42% rated their most recent experience positively, while 21% reflected negatively. The possibility of winning large sums motivates 85% of gamblers, while 72% cited enjoyment as a reason to participate.
According to the survey, 2.7% of the adult population in 2024 recorded a Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) score of 8 or above. This reflects statistical stability when compared with the previous year.
Analysis Supports Reliability of Findings
A recent methodological review by Professor Patrick Sturgis has reinforced trust in the accuracy of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain’s estimates. The robust sample size of 19,714 respondents enabled supplementary analysis focusing on weekly gamblers’ risk profiles and the broader negative consequences associated with gambling.
Risk Profile and Consequence Reports Published
| Report Focus | Key Highlights |
|---|---|
| Risk Profiles | Risk exposure varies across and within gambling product categories, emphasizing the importance of targeted risk assessment by operators. |
| Negative Consequences | Gambling may affect multiple aspects of a person’s life at once, such as relationships and health, echoing earlier qualitative findings. |
Additional Research and Oversight Activities
The latest release adds to several other research initiatives by the Commission over the past year, which include quarterly gambling participation reports, specific deep-dive analyses from the University of Glasgow on motives for gambling and the link between gambling activities and PGSI scores, exploration of personal experiences with gambling-related consequences, and a response to an Office for Statistics Regulation review. Experimental research has also been undertaken on why survey findings may differ across various methodologies.
Regulatory Actions and Operator Guidance
Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, emphasized the importance of the survey in guiding government, industry, and policy partners in understanding player behavior and gambling consequences. Rhodes stated: “The Gambling Survey for Great Britain 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.
“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.
“Data and research, such as GSGB, is essential to helping us identify where our regulatory focus should be and informs our ongoing work to implement player protection recommendations from the Gambling Act Review White Paper.
“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.
“We’ve also banned potentially harmful marketing offers involving consumers having to carry out two or more types of gambling, such as betting and playing slots, and limited the number of times bonus funds must be re-staked before a consumer can withdraw winnings.”
He continued: “From the end of this month [31 October] our new rules will give consumer controls over deposit limits and all gambling businesses must prompt their customers to set a financial limit before they make their first deposit.”
“In the land-based sector, we are also considering time and monetary limit setting functionality and safer gambling messaging on machines.
“In addition, we have been piloting enhanced frictionless financial risk assessments for those spending £1,000 within 24 hours or £2,000 within 90 days. We are currently analysing the data gathered during the pilot examining data-sharing between credit reference agencies and gambling businesses.”
- Author
Daniel Williams
