This month, the Gambling Commission released the latest Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB). Now in its second year, the survey’s larger sample size and altered methodologies did not, unfortunately, insulate it from criticism.
While the headline findings showed little change since the first survey (published last year, but containing data from 2023), there remained a notable discrepancy between the GSGB’s finding that 2.7% of participants had a Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) score of 8 or higher, compared to other recent surveys that seem to place problem gambling at around 0.4%.
The figure itself, again, has not changed much since the last survey which stated that 2.5% of participants had a score of 8 or more. However, in this year’s survey, which gathered 19,714 responses in four tranches running quarterly between January 2024 and January 2025, the GC’s guidance on how the figures may be used has changed.
Due to the larger sample size this year and the regulator’s greater confidence in its updated push-to-web methodology, the GC warned not to draw direct comparisons with the previous survey, but advised that the approximated gambling participation and PGSI scores could be used to estimate the numbers of people affected in the whole population.
Already, we seem to be in a quagmire of statistical anomalies that could mislead those seeking clarity from these very numbers. But in short, this year’s GSGB estimates that 1.4 million people in the UK had a PGSI score of 8 or more, suggesting they have experienced adverse consequences from their gambling and may have lost control of their behaviour.
The survey also found that the highest PGSI scores were found among those living in the most deprived areas and that certain demographics (men and younger people) had higher PGSI scores. Those that gambled on online slots, casino games, football pools, and sports events online also appeared more frequently among the participants with a PGSI of 8 or above.
These findings on risk are useful, although in some ways they offer little in the way of surprise. It would be surprising if operators were not already aware of those correlations, and in theory, their player protection processes should already be taking account of them.
And here we stumble upon another problem: There is no way at present for the GC to reliably separate data related to licensed gambling from that on unlicensed platforms. Which gives no indication of the success, or otherwise, of the regulated market.
As many of the industry press have pointed out, the data will make interesting reading for the anti-gambling lobby and could fuel policy decisions on licensing and taxation. However, the potential benefits of any policy decisions can in no way be estimated on the basis of this data, as the unlicensed market would be totally unaffected by any modification of the rules.
As tempting as it is to berate the GC for its constantly evolving methodologies and questionable reliability when it comes to the black-market’s role in gambling trends, the truth is this data is useful. It provides insights that, without it, we would not have.
We know that data can be weaponised and with that in mind, the industry would be wise to formulate a reasoned response. How can it evidence its commitment to mitigating the risk factors outlined here?
If the numbers remain stable next year, as they have this year, can we at least take some comfort in knowing they are not rising? Some will, of course, argue that the 2.7% is a rise on previous studies that placed it under 1%. However, the GC states clearly that the figures should not be compared; it does not necessarily equate to a rise, but it may reveal an earlier under-estimation.
The Betting and Gaming Council was restrained in its response. “More than 22 million adults in Britain enjoy a bet each month and as the Gambling Commission today shows, the vast majority of people do so without a problem,” a spokesperson said.
“Our members take player protections incredibly seriously and have voluntarily contributed £170 million to research, education, and treatment programmes over the past four years alone – in stark contrast to the illegal black market which has almost trebled in size since 2022 and actively targets vulnerable customers.
“The NHS APM Survey of June 2025 and the NHS health survey of 2021 both estimated problem gambling at 0.4% and the differences between this and the Gambling Commission’s rate reflects different methodology rather than a rise in harm.”
These figures cannot be relied on in isolation to illuminate the shaded truth of individuals’ gambling habits, but whatever the true scale of gambling harm in the UK, operators need to remain dedicated to reducing it. The more visible that commitment is, the better the outcomes for everyone.
