UK Gambling Survey Reports Stable Trends in 2025

The Gambling Commission has published the third annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), providing updated statistics on gambling participation, behaviours and consequences among adults across Great Britain.

The report covers data from 2025 and completes three years of comparable GSGB results. Produced by the National Centre for Social Research and the University of Glasgow, the survey includes around 20,000 respondents annually and is one of the world’s largest dedicated gambling surveys.

The findings provide insight into gambling activity, reasons for participation and gambling-related experiences. The Commission said the data helps identify trends and supports policy development, regulation and wider discussion.

Participation Rates Remain Steady

The survey found that 47% of adults aged 18 and over had participated in gambling during the previous four weeks. Excluding those who only played lottery draws, the rate was 27%.

Participation remained broadly stable compared with earlier reports, with the previous survey recording 48% of adults taking part.

The most common reason for gambling was the chance of winning big money, cited by 84% of respondents. Gambling being fun was reported by 69%, while 57% said making money was a reason for participation and 53% selected excitement.

Overall, 78% of gamblers described their feelings towards gambling as positive or neutral.

Problem Gambling Rate Remains Stable

The 2025 GSGB recorded a PGSI score of eight or above among 2.4% of adults. The figure was 2.7% in the previous report and 2.5% in the first GSGB publication, with the Commission describing the rate as stable over three years.

The survey also examined the effects of gambling on people close to gamblers. Among respondents who said someone close to them gambled, 3.3% had sought support. Around 6% of gamblers from the past 12 months reported lying to family members about their gambling at least occasionally.

Tim Miller, Executive Director for Research and Policy at the Gambling Commission, said: "The publication of the third annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain marks an important milestone.

“Three years of GSGB provides a richer, more timely picture of the trend in gambling in Great Britain than has previously been available. It helps us understand not only who gambles and the products they use, but also why people gamble, the range of experiences they have, and the consequences gambling can have in people's lives. This evidence is a vital part of a wider evidence base that informs policy, regulation and wider public discussion.

“We encourage researchers, policymakers, industry and the wider public to make use of these findings alongside the interactive dashboard and supplementary reports. As with all official statistics, we remain committed to ensuring GSGB continues to meet the highest standards through transparency, independent scrutiny and ongoing methodological improvement."

Three Years of Comparable Data

The latest report used responses from 20,775 adults, with fieldwork conducted between January 2025 and January 2026. The GSGB uses a push-to-web methodology and is intended to complement other evidence sources.

The Commission said three years of consistent survey results now allow stronger analysis of gambling trends. Further supplementary reports based on GSGB data will be published throughout the year.

Source:

“Commission publishes third annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain”, gamblingcommission.gov.uk, Jul 16, 2026