Great Britain gambling falls, Gambling Survey review published

Overall gambling participation across Great Britain saw a decline to 46% in the latest period, as detailed in the UK’s Office for Statistics Regulation review of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB).

Between September 2024 and January 2025, new data from the Gambling Commission indicates a decrease of three percentage points from the previous quarter. The GSGB, conducted by NatCen, surveyed 5,191 adults aged 18 and older and revealed that only 46% engaged in gambling activities within the past four weeks, down from 49% reported in the previous study ending in October 2024.

Of those who gambled recently, 19% reported participation exclusively in National Lottery or charity lottery draws. Excluding these players from the participation statistics drops the overall rate to 28%, consistent with figures from the prior three months.

Office for Statistics Regulation Review of GSGB Study

The UK’s Office for Statistics Regulation, part of the UK Statistics Authority, recently reviewed the GSGB survey in response to reliability concerns. Published findings on Thursday included nine recommendations aimed at enhancing the study’s methodology and transparency.

Key recommendations include a call for the Gambling Commission to elaborate on its quality assurance processes and to openly address potential biases affecting statistical estimates. Additionally, the Office suggested the establishment of a user engagement strategy, encouraging stakeholders to participate in the continual development of the GSGB.

“While some areas require further enhancement, we find no evidence to suggest the statistics are unfit for publication,” the Office for Statistics Regulation stated. “The GSGB provides the most regular gambling estimates compared to other official surveys.”

The Office also advised the Gambling Commission to clarify the applicability and limitations of the data provided.

Director General Ed Humpherson remarked, “I am pleased to see the Gambling Commission actively addressing our findings and encourage transparency in their progress.”

Decline in Lottery Participation Amid Slight Growth in Online Gambling

The latest GSGB data reveals that lottery games remain the dominant form of gambling in Great Britain. However, participation has fallen from 37% in October to 34%. Following the lottery, scratchcards logged a participation rate of 12%, while traditional betting accounted for 10% and online instant win games for 7%.

Despite an overall online gambling participation rate of 37%, this figure drops to 17% when excluding lottery draw-only players, marking a modest increase of one percentage point from previous data. Notably, the Gambling Commission reported a significant year-on-year increase of 7% in online gross gambling yield in the first quarter, bolstered by double-digit growth in online slots.

The gross gambling yield (GGY) reached £1.45 billion ($1.93 billion) for the quarter ending March 31, surpassing last year’s £1.34 billion but falling short of the £1.54 billion recorded in Q4. Additionally, consumers engaged in a staggering 23.4 billion spins during the quarter, a 6% rise from the previous year, with average accounts increasing by 6% to reach a new record of 4.5 million in the slots segment.

Demographic analysis from the NatCen study revealed that only 6% of respondents were aged 18 to 24, whereas this age group constitutes approximately 11% of Great Britain’s adult population. Similarly, participants aged 65 to 74 represented 18% of the study sample, compared to their 12% share of the overall population.