Trade body calls on UKGC to work with broader range of stats providers

A trade association is encouraging the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) to improve its strategy and policies and better support betting companies in using data and statistics.

The Institute of Licensing (IoL) put out a statement following the Commission’s publication of Gambling Survey of Great Britain (GSGB) data, gathered during the second year of the survey.

IoL argues that the UKGC needs to improve user confidence in the survey, and that a more detailed improvement plan is needed if the recommendations made by Professor Patrick Sturgis of London School of Economics, based on the survey, are to be adopted smoothly.

This should sit alongside a user engagement strategy and information on the quality assurance and validation processes of the GSGB, the IoL believes. The organisation argues that building trust among the GSGB’s users should be a priority for the UKGC.

The GSGB began in 2023 as a two year study of how Britons engage with the gambling sector, and how their behaviour may have changed during this time. This coincided with the review of the 2005 Gambling Act, party functioning as a means to support UKGC policy and guidelines, and industry best practice.

The second year datasets identified scratchcards, sports betting and online instant win games as being the most associated with higher risk. These products were the most frequently used non-lottery products, being used by 12%, 10% and 7% of respondents.

Additionally, the study has reiterated some points about the increasing digitisation of gambling, particularly among younger demographics, which are also more likely to engage with non-lottery products. The survey found that males aged 18-24 became the most active group, with a 47% participation rate, once lottery products were excluded.

These statistics, just some examples out of many, clearly give industry stakeholders across a range of disciplines a lot of food for thought. The IoL argues though that this can be built on further.

The association states that the UKGC should “consider how it can align further development of these statistics, including the detail that is provided and how it is presented, with user needs”.

Another issue lies in what stakeholders understanding of the survey is, and how it relates to the wider UK ambling ecosystem. The IoL is encouraging the Commission to look at how GSGB data can relate to other statistics, such as those derived from the Health Survey for England and the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey.

This is an interesting point given that the UKGC itself has often urged UK gambling stakeholders to make better use of data, and learn from other industries like the finance sector when it comes to data sharing and using stats to inform policy and practices.

“To benefit future statistics development and address diverse stakeholder needs, the Gambling Commission should broaden its stakeholder network and collaborate further with official statistics producers,” the IoL’s seventh recommendation read.

However, combining GSGB data with stats from the likes of the Health Survey for England could also lend more to the argument that gambling should be framed as a public health issue rather than a business one – something that neither the UKGC nor the government have committed to, though some campaigners including MPs are becoming more and more vocal in favour of this.