The UK Gambling Commission has published the 2024 Gambling Survey for Great Britain, which shows that nearly half of British adults gamble.
The survey collects data for the world’s largest dedicated study of gambling participation, behaviors, and consequences. Produced by the National Centre for Social Research and the University of Glasgow, the survey has gathered several findings, including that 48% of adults in Great Britain had gambled in the last four weeks.
That number falls to just 28% when you exclude those who only bought lottery tickets. Of that number, who gambled at all, 42% rated their last experience as a positive one, while 21% rated it negatively.
When it comes to gambling motivations, the vast majority (85%) said they were after a big financial win, while 72% put it down to gambling being fun. In 2024, the survey states that 2.7% of adults scored eight or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), a level described as “statistically stable” when compared to 2023.
Wider trends found in the survey
The Gambling Commission has used the data from the survey to publish two further reports. The first highlights risk profiles of regular gamblers who play on a weekly basis, while the second builds on previous understandings of the potential negative consequences of gambling.
“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,” said Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission. “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.”
In terms of actionable moves, Rhodes went on to highlight that learnings from the study led the Commission to introduce light-touch financial vulnerability checks on those spending £150 a month, reduce the intensity of online games by banning autoplay and slowing game speed, and tighten 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 explained. “From the end of 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.”
Other measures include setting limits on time and spending in land-based casinos, as well as introducing safer gambling messaging on machines.
Featured image: Unsplash
