Individual-level responses for the GSGB

Request

I am contacting you to ask whether it will be possible to access certain datasets:

• Individual-level responses for Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), which are the basis for the summary statistics provided on the Gambling Commission website Statistics on gambling participation – Year 2 (2024), wave 2: Official statistics
• If it is possible to access such dataset, then which variables would be provided?
• Lastly, are there any aggregate measures of problematic gambling at the local level (e.g LSOA). The reason I am asking is that one of the questions we want to address is whether gambling shops are established in areas with a considerable number of problematic gamblers. But we are currently missing this measure at the local level.

Response

Thank you for your request which has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

In your email you have requested:

• Individual-level responses for Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), which are the basis for the summary statistics provided on the Gambling Commission website Statistics on gambling participation – Year 2 (2024), wave 2: Official statistics
• If it is possible to access such dataset, then which variables would be provided?
• Lastly, are there any aggregate measures of problematic gambling at the local level (e.g LSOA). The reason I am asking is that one of the questions we want to address is whether gambling shops are established in areas with a considerable number of problematic gamblers. But we are currently missing this measure at the local level.

A large volume of information relating to the Gambling Survey for Great Britain is already available on the Gambling Commission website, which may be of use to you:

Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB)

I can confirm that the Gambling Commission does hold some information falling within the scope of your request, including anonymised individual level responses. However, the data isn't available at LSOA level; we don't have the sample size available yet to look at the data at this localised level, currently we only go down as far as region.

This information is due to be published to the UK Data Service (opens in a new tab) in the near future. Therefore, we consider this information to be exempt under section 22 of the FOIA.

Section 22(1) of the FOIA (“information that is intended to be published in the future”) provides that information is exempt if:

a) the information is held by the public authority with a view to its publication, by the authority or any other person, at some future date (whether determined or not),

b) the information was already held with a view to such publication at the time when the request for information was made,

This is a qualified exemption, therefore, the Commission must consider whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption is greater than the public interest in disclosing the requested information.

Arguments in favour of disclosure

It is recognised that there is a legitimate public interest in promoting the accountability and transparency of public authorities and in Government Departments providing information they hold that falls within the scope of an FOI request as quickly as possible.

Arguments in favour of maintaining the exemption However, this needs to be balanced with the public interest in the Commission ensuring the maximum time/cost effectiveness; providing this information in response to a FOI request is not the most time/cost effective way of placing this information in the public domain when it will be published in due course.

Weighing the balance

Having considered the above factors, the Commission is of the view that the balance of the public interest lies in maintaining the exemption. There is no outstanding public interest in releasing this information prior to its intended publication. Given the necessary preparation and administration involved in publishing the information, we consider that our publication timetable is reasonable.

Please note, researchers interested in accessing the datasets will need to register with the UK Data Service in the first instance

Review of the decision

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your Freedom of Information request you are entitled to an internal review of our decision. You should write to FOI Team, Gambling Commission, 4th floor, Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B2 4BP or by reply to this email. 

Please note, internal review requests should be made within 40 working days of the initial response. Requests made outside this timeframe will not be processed.

If you are not content with the outcome of our review, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have already exhausted the review procedure provided by the Gambling Commission. 

It should be noted that if you wish to raise a complaint with the ICO about the Commission’s handling of your request for information, then you are required to do so within six weeks of receiving your final response or last substantive contact with us.

The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office (opens in a new tab), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Information Management Team
Gambling Commission