New figures show 1.4 million adults suffering “problem gambling”
The Gambling Commission has confirmed that the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), published on 2nd October, is the best estimate of the scale of damage to the population related to gambling and provides the official rate of “problem gambling” and other harms. Using improved and tested methodology, the GSGB shows that significantly more people are seriously harmed by gambling than found by old health surveys.
Increased “problem gambling” rates – and younger people are most harmed and at-risk
The GSGB found that 2.7% of GB adults score 8 or above on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), classifying them as suffering “problem gambling” – that is around 1.4 million people. This is an increase from the previous estimate of 2.5%. A further 3.1% (1.6 million) are “at risk” (PGSI scores 3–7), while many more experience harm from someone else’s gambling. This confirms that the gambling industry’s claims that few people are affected are incorrect.
The findings also confirm young people remain at the most risk: among 18 to 24-year-olds who gambled, 10.2% meet the threshold for problem gambling, far higher than any other age group.
Dangerous forms of gambling are growing most quickly – high-speed online slots/ casino
People gambling on products such as online slots or casino games (played online or in-person) are roughly five times more likely to be suffering “problem gambling”. Over 40% of people who use these products are seriously harmed – these products have “problem gambling” rates of almost 25% and “at risk” rates of around 16%.
Industry statistics show that the growth of the industry is being led by these highly addictive products: profits from online slots grew by 12% in the year to March 2025.
Gambling activity – participation in gambling is a minority activity
Lotteries remain the most common engagement with gambling, with 36% of people entering lottery draws, but 21% of people doing lottery draws only, with no other gambling participation. Excluding people who gamble on lottery draws only, just over 1 in 4 people (28%) gambled in the past 4 weeks. Including those who played lotteries only, the proportion who gambled remained just below half (48%).
Just over 1 in 10 (11%) people place bets (on sports, racing or events). Smaller numbers engage with the most dangerous products – 3% use online fruits and slots and 3% play casino games (in person or online).
The survey no longer asks how often people bet, but the older surveys found that only around 1 in 8 people gambled in any way more than once a week. So, frequent gambling, particularly on the most dangerous products (slots/fruits/casino games), is a minority activity. However, these are the products which cause the most harm, and use is growing most rapidly
Suicidal thoughts and wider harms
The survey also highlights the serious mental health impact of gambling. Over 1 in 10 participants in the survey (12.2%) reported having thought about or attempted suicide, with more than 5% linking their suicidality to gambling.
Findings confirm that gambling harms extend beyond the individual. Among people close to someone who gambles, 5.2% reported at least one severe consequence, most commonly relationship breakdown (3.9%). Other adverse effects included stress, anxiety, or health problems (11.4%), guilt or shame (10.3%), and conflict or arguments (9%).
A technical note – ‘presence of interviewer’ in old surveys led to underreporting of gambling harms
When the first GSGB figures were released in 2024, showing “problem gambling” rates of 2.5%, the industry challenged the scale of difference between the results of GSGB and the old country Health Surveys, which typically had found “problem gambling” rates around 0.5%. They, and often the government, continued to use the old lower figures, despite requests from the Gambling Commission to use GSGB. So, the Commission asked Professor Patrick Sturgis (LSE) to undertake a series of experiments to understand why.
Professor Sturgis concluded:
“The study also found that participants who completed the survey online had a significantly higher score on the PGSI, compared with those who completed the survey via telephone. This finding suggests that responses to questions about the negative impacts of gambling are under-reported in interviewer-administered surveys, due to social desirability bias (the tendency for people to respond to surveys in a way that they believe will be viewed favourably).
“While in-person surveys mitigate this through self-completion during the interview, this is unlikely to be entirely successful. In contrast, the GSGB’s self-completion methodology largely avoids this measurement bias and encourages more accurate reporting of gambling behaviours.”
Despite industry consultants and lobbyists attempting to highlight a ‘few dated studies’ or challenge why Prof Sturgis had altered his view on the scale of the impact of interviewer presence/social desirability bias, he was firm in his expert view that his rigorous experiments had shown that this was the robust and greatest explanation for the difference. The Commission have confirmed that GSGB is their source of official statistics for gambling participation and harms. So, the clear interpretation is that the GSGB figures are the best estimate of the actual rate and should be accepted as the official figures with no further argument.
Table of key statistics from GSGB 2025 (full figures available here)
“Problem Gambling“ and “at-risk” rates
| Harm rates | “Problem gambling” | “At-risk” | “Problem gambling” and “at-risk” |
| People | |||
| All adults | 2.7% (1.4 million people) | 3.1% (1.6 million people) | 5.8% (3 million people) |
| All adults who gamble | 4.5% | 5.3% | 9.8% |
| All males who gamble | 6.0% | 6.6% | 12.6% |
| All females who gamble | 2.8% | 3.9% | 6.7% |
| All adults who gamble (excluding lotteries only) | 6.3% | 7.1% | 13.4% |
| Adults aged 18–24 who gamble | 10.2% | 9.4% | 19.6% |
| Adults aged 25–34 who gamble | 8.2% | 6.9% | 15.1% |
| Products | |||
| Fruits and slots (online) | 24.5% | 15.6% | 40.1% |
| Casino games (online, machine, and casino) | 20.3% | 15.3% | 35.6% |
| Betting (sports, racing, and events) | 9.4% | 9.4% | 18.8% |
| Bingo | 11.0% | 7.9% | 18.9% |
| Lottery draws | 3.9% | 5.1% | 9.0% |
| Scratchcards | 8.2% | 7.5% | 15.7% |
| Online instant win games | 10.5% | 11.1% | 21.6% |
Participation rates
| Participation rates (past 4 weeks) | All | Male | Female |
| Form of gambling | |||
| Any gambling | 48% | 51% | 44% |
| Excluding lottery-only players | 28% | 31% | 25% |
| National Lottery (and other) draws | 36% | 37% | 35% |
| Scratchcards | 13% | 12% | 14% |
| Online instant win games | 8% | 8% | 7% |
| Betting (sports, racing, events) | 11% | 16% | 5% |
| Bingo | 4% | 3% | 6% |
| Fruits and Slots (online) | 3% | 5% | 2% |
| Casino games (online, machine, and casino) | 3% | 5% | 2% |