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The Gambling Commission reported a 2.4% problem gambling rate for 2025, giving the regulator three full years of comparable data on gambling behaviour in Great Britain.
Good to Know
- The survey covered 20,775 adults.
- Gambling participation reached 47% over four weeks.
- The problem gambling rate fell from 2.7% to 2.4%.
Three Years of GSGB Data Show a Stable Rate
The 2.4% problem gambling rate compares with 2.5% in 2023 and 2.7% in 2024. A further 3.5% of respondents fell into the moderate risk group, while 7.8% recorded low risk scores.
The Gambling Commission now uses the Gambling Survey for Great Britain as its main source of official gambling behaviour data. NatCen and the University of Glasgow collected responses across four quarterly waves between January 2025 and January 2026.
Tim Miller said:
“The publication of the third annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain marks an important milestone.
“Three years of GSGB provides a richer, more timely picture of the trend in gambling in Great Britain than has previously been available. It helps us understand not only who gambles and the products they use, but also why people gamble, the range of experiences they have, and the consequences gambling can have in people’s lives.”
Nearly half of adults, 47%, said they had gambled during the previous four weeks. Removing lottery draw only players reduced participation to 27%.
Online participation reached 38%, compared with 28% for in-person gambling. After removing lottery only activity, the figures were far closer at 16% online and 17% in person.
Younger adults used the widest range of products. Those aged 18 to 24 averaged 3.6 gambling activities, compared with 1.7 among people aged 75 and over.
Winning a large sum ranked as the most common reason for gambling at 84%. Fun followed at 69%, while 57% cited making money and 53% cited excitement.
Reported Consequences and Support
Among adults who gambled during the previous year, 2.7% reported at least one severe consequence. Relationship breakdown ranked highest at 1.7%.
More common negative effects included cutting spending on everyday items at 6.4% and lying to family at 5.9%.
Support use remained limited. Around 3.4% sought help because of their own gambling. Another 43.2% said someone close to them gambled, with 3.3% of that group seeking help, information or support.
The Commission warned against comparing GSGB figures with older surveys that used different methods. Year to year GSGB comparisons now provide the clearest trend measure.
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