UKGC Survey Shows Drop in Overall Gambling Participation

The Gambling Commission has published the latest statistics from its Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), marking the completion of the first full year of reporting with the release of Year 2, Wave 4 data.

The most recent figures show a drop in overall gambling participation, with 46% of adults having taken part in any gambling activity in the past four weeks, compared to 49% in Wave 3.

Participation in lottery draws also declined, falling from 37% to 34% between waves. Notably, 19% of respondents said they had only participated in lottery draws, whether through the National Lottery or charity lotteries.

Excluding those who only took part in lotteries, the overall gambling participation rate stands at 28%, which the Commission noted has remained “stable” throughout 2024.

The regulator commented:

“Overall gambling participation is highest for males aged 35 to 64. However, removing lottery draw only players shifts the age profile downwards, resulting in males aged 18 to 24 having the highest gambling participation rates in the past four weeks (47 per cent).”

Beyond lottery draws, the most common gambling activities were scratchcards (12%), betting (10%), and online instant win games (7%).

In-person gambling participation (including lotteries) stood at 28%, but fell to 18% when excluding lottery players. Online gambling participation was 37%, or 17% without lotteries.

The findings form part of the Commission’s ongoing efforts to monitor gambling trends and inform regulatory decisions with robust, long-term data.