UK Gambling Commission Publishes Third Annual Report from Gambling Survey for Great Britain

The UK Gambling Commission released its third annual report from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain on 16 July 2026, presenting official statistics drawn from responses collected throughout 2025. This marks Year 3 of the ongoing survey, which tracks patterns across three consecutive years from 2023 through 2025. The data comes from 20,775 adults aged 18 and older, covering participation rates, behaviours, attitudes, and harms associated with gambling activities.

Survey results show the problem gambling rate, defined by a PGSI score of 8 or higher, holding steady at 2.4 percent. Observers note that this stability persists despite shifts in other areas of the dataset, including changes in how people engage with different gambling formats over the three-year period.

Survey Scope and Methodology

The Gambling Survey for Great Britain gathers responses on a wide range of topics, from frequency of participation in lotteries and sports betting to experiences with online casino games and attitudes toward gambling regulation. Researchers designed the instrument to capture both positive and negative outcomes, allowing comparisons year over year. Because the same core questions run across 2023, 2024, and 2025, analysts can identify trends without relying on separate data collections that might introduce inconsistencies.

Data collection occurred through a combination of online panels and probability-based sampling to reach a representative cross-section of adults in Great Britain. The final sample of 20,775 respondents exceeds the size of many previous national gambling studies, which strengthens the precision of estimates around low-prevalence outcomes such as problem gambling.

Participation Patterns Across Three Years

Figures reveal that overall participation in any gambling activity remained consistent, with roughly two-thirds of adults reporting some form of gambling in the past year. Lottery draws continued to attract the largest share of participants, while online slots and casino-style games showed modest growth between 2023 and 2025. In contrast, participation in betting shops declined slightly over the same window, reflecting broader movement toward digital channels.

Attitudes toward gambling also appear in the dataset. A steady majority expressed support for existing age restrictions and advertising controls, while smaller segments indicated growing awareness of responsible gambling tools such as deposit limits and self-exclusion schemes. These attitudinal measures stayed largely flat across the three survey waves.

Problem Gambling Rates and Associated Harms

The headline statistic remains the problem gambling rate of 2.4 percent, unchanged from the previous two annual reports. This figure derives from the Problem Gambling Severity Index, which classifies respondents into low-risk, moderate-risk, and problem-gambling categories based on answers to nine standardised questions. Because the rate shows no statistically significant movement, analysts conclude that the underlying prevalence has held steady despite evolving product offerings and marketing approaches.

Harms measured in the survey include financial difficulties, relationship strain, and mental health impacts reported by respondents or their family members. The proportion of adults experiencing at least one gambling-related harm remained within a narrow band across the three years, mirroring the stability seen in the PGSI scores. Detailed tables break harms down by activity type, showing higher rates among those who participate in multiple online products compared with those who limit themselves to lotteries.

Three-Year Trends and Data Comparisons

Looking across the full 2023–2025 period, the report highlights several consistent patterns. Online gambling participation rose gradually each year, yet the increase did not translate into higher problem gambling prevalence. Attitudes toward industry regulation showed little fluctuation, with most respondents continuing to favour current restrictions on advertising and credit betting. The stability in these metrics suggests that broader societal factors, rather than short-term market changes, may be influencing problem gambling levels.

Cross-tabulations within the dataset allow comparisons by age, gender, and region. Younger adults continue to report higher rates of online participation, while older cohorts remain more likely to engage with traditional lottery products. Regional differences appear modest, with England, Scotland, and Wales displaying broadly similar participation and harm profiles after weighting adjustments.

Conclusion

The third annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain report, published on 16 July 2026, supplies the most recent official statistics on gambling participation, behaviours, attitudes, and harms. With a sample of 20,775 adults and consistent methodology across three years, the data indicate that the problem gambling rate stayed at 2.4 percent through 2025. Further details appear in the full statistical release available from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (Annual Report 2025): Official statistics.