SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published Wave-2 datasets from the Gambling Survey of Great Britain (GSGB) for 2024.
The GSGB includes a new survey format and research methodology conducted by NatCen for the Gambling Commission to measure gambling prevalence and to collect updated data on “playing habits, attitudes, and harms experienced across the adult population of Great Britain.”
Following a two-year ‘technical review,’ Wave-1 GSGB datasets were published on 29 February 2024, marking the start of a new era in data collection for the Gambling Commission and providing stakeholders with more frequent and consistent data on gambling prevalence.
Audiences are reminded that Wave-1 and Wave-2 datasets do not include the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) statistics for UK adults. PGSI statistics are reported in the Commission’s annual ‘Official Statistics on Gambling Participation,’ which provides data on “the consequences that gambling can have on individuals and those close to them.”
Wave-2 GSGB datasets were compiled by NatCen based on a “nationally representative sample” of 4,657 adults aged 18 and over, interviewed between April and July 2024.
Regarding prevalence, key findings highlighted that adult participation in any gambling activities in the past four weeks stood at 48%, consistent with prior observations in 2023 and Wave-1 statistics for 2024 (index Table A.3).
Excluding lottery draw participation, adult gambling participation dropped to 28%. Among males, 52% participated in gambling over the past four weeks, but this figure decreased to 32.4% when excluding lottery draws. For females, the participation rate was 43.6%, falling to 24.7% when excluding lottery-only participants (index Table A.8).
The highest gambling participation rate, including lottery draws, was observed in the 45–54 age group at 55.2%. However, excluding lottery-only participants shifted the highest participation to the 25–34 age group at 35.8%. Across all age groups, female participation rates remained consistently lower than those of males.
A total of 37.4% of respondents participated in online gambling in the past four weeks, but this figure dropped to 17.2% when excluding those who only participated in lottery draws. Among males, 42.2% engaged in online gambling, decreasing to 22.0% when excluding lottery-only participants. For females, 33.0% participated in online gambling, falling to 12.7% when excluding lottery-only participants.
The highest online gambling participation rate, including lottery players, was observed in the 45–54 age group at 45.5%. Excluding lottery-only participants shifted the highest participation to the 18–24 and 25–34 age groups, both at 23.9%.
A summary of Wave-2 activities stated: “The most popular gambling activities (in the past four weeks) were lotteries, including National Lottery draws (31%) and other charity lottery draws (16%). Following lotteries, the next three most popular activities were scratchcards (12%), betting (12%), and online instant win games (7%). Compared to the previous period (Wave 1, 2024), participation in betting increased by over three percentage points.”
A breakdown of gambling activities revealed that 12.4% of respondents engaged in betting activities, with 18.5% of males participating compared to 6.5% of females (index Table A.11).
Among betting types, sports and racing (online or via an app) were the most popular, with 10.3% of respondents participating overall—15.8% of males and 5.1% of females. Online casino games were indexed at 2.8%, with 4.8% of males participating compared to 0.9% of females.
Audiences are reminded by the Commission that “The statistics presented in this report comprise our official statistics on gambling participation. The data presented from the GSGB is not comparable to previous gambling survey publications due to changes in methodology.”
