Lynnae is a journalist covering the intersection of technology, culture, and gambling. She has more than five years of experience as a writer and editor, with bylines at SlashGear and MakeUseOf. On the iGaming side,...
Read Full BioThe UK Gambling Commission has published its latest Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), which looks at gambling participation and harm across the country.
The study, a joint effort between the National Centre for Social Research and the University of Glasgow, surveyed 19,714 people in the UK. The Commission released two other reports alongside the GSGB. One of the reports takes a closer look at people who gamble weekly, and the other examines the personal and social impact of gambling.
According to the new data, 48% of people in the UK gambled in the past month. However, when lottery participation wasn’t counted, the number dropped to 28%. The survey also showed that 42% of adults who’d gambled in the last 12 months described their experience as positive, while 21% said they’d had a negative experience.
Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, had this to say about the survey’s results: “This year’s findings deepen our understanding of those consequences and provide crucial insight into risk profiles among those who gamble most frequently.”
These findings build on a study released by the Commission in September that mapped who uses illegal gambling sites and why.
Problem Gambling Rates Remain Stable
When it comes to the topic of problem gambling, 2.7% of participants 18 years and older scored 8+ on the Problem Gambling Severity Index, which means their gambling has had negative consequences or they’ve shown signs of losing control over their behavior. Compared to 2023, the Commission reports that this number has remained stable.
This year’s survey included new questions that the Commission added in an effort to get a better picture of the range and severity of gambling-related harms experienced by players. Out of the respondents who said they’d gambled in the past 12 months, 1.6% said their gambling had contributed to a relationship breakdown, while others reported cutting back on everyday spending (6.7%), lying to family (6%), or using or borrowing money they couldn’t afford (5.7%).
Rhodes urged operators to use this data to strengthen player protection systems, saying: “We strongly encourage operators to use this evidence to consider the risks within their own customer bases.”
The good news is that it appears that only a small percentage of gamblers experience serious harm. Still, the Commission pointed out that these findings corroborate earlier studies showing that gambling can have ripple effects throughout various parts of a person’s life.
Commission Plans Further Player Protections
The Commission didn’t stop with reporting findings; it also outlined the ongoing steps it is taking to strengthen player protections and reduce gambling-related harm.
This includes new rules that take effect on October 31, requiring all operators to prompt customers to set deposit limits before their first deposit, along with financial risk checks for players who bet £150 or more per month.
Rhodes pointed out that: “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.”
The Commission is also considering introducing time and spend limit features, as well as adding safer gambling messages, on gaming machines across the land-based sector.
