Overall gambling participation
44 percent of adults (aged 16 and over) said they had participated in at least one form of gambling in the previous four weeks (43 percent in year to December 2021), representing a statistically stable participation rate over the past 12-month period.
Significant increases in gambling participation were seen for certain demographic groups, including males (a 47 percent gambling participation rate in 2022, compared to 44 percent in year to December 2021) and 25 to 34 year olds (a 44 percent participation rate in 2022, compared to 37 percent in year to December 2021).
Looking at the data across a slightly longer term period, the data shows that whilst there has been some recovery in the market since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there hasn't been a complete return to pre-coronavirus participation rates, illustrating the long-term impact of the pandemic.
Figure 1: Proportion of respondents participating in at least one form of gambling in the past four weeks, by gender and age
Data from chart
Proportion of respondents participating in at least one form of gambling in the past four weeks by all respondents.
| Year | All respondents (percent) |
|---|---|
| Year to December 2018 | 45.8% |
| Year to December 2019 | 47.2% |
| Year to December 2020 | 42.0% |
| Year to December 2021 | 42.6% |
| Year to December 2022 | 44.4% |
| Significant 2021 to 2022 † | No |
Proportion of respondents participating in at least one form of gambling in the past four weeks by gender.
| Gender | Male (percent) | Female (percent) |
|---|---|---|
| Year to December 2018 | 50.8% | 40.9% |
| Year to December 2019 | 51.0% | 43.5% |
| Year to December 2020 | 44.5% | 39.5% |
| Year to December 2021 | 43.6% | 41.8% |
| Year to December 2022 | 47.2% | 41.8% |
| Significant 2021 to 2022 † | Yes | No |
Proportion of respondents participating in at least one form of gambling in the past four weeks by age.
| Age | 16 to 24 year olds (percent) | 25 to 34 year olds (percent) | 35 to 44 year olds (percent) | 45 to 54 year olds (percent) | 55 to 64 year olds (percent) | 65 year olds and over (percent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year to December 2018 | 36.1% | 45.9% | 43.9% | 52.3% | 55.0% | 42.2% |
| Year to December 2019 | 40.4% | 48.7% | 50.5% | 52.8% | 48.4% | 41.9% |
| Year to December 2020 | 31.2% | 39.0% | 45.8% | 48.4% | 46.5% | 39.1% |
| Year to December 2021 | 32.2% | 37.2% | 42.8% | 51.1% | 49.7% | 40.0% |
| Year to December 2022 | 34.3% | 44.2% | 45.8% | 50.2% | 47.6% | 42.0% |
| Significant 2021 to 2022 † | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
† Statistically significant change from Year to December 2021 at the 95 percent level
As participation in National Lottery draws is so much higher than for other gambling activities, changes in National Lottery participation can have a noticeable impact on overall participation rates. It is therefore useful to remove the responses of those who have only participated in National Lottery draws. When respondents who have only taken part in National Lottery draws are excluded, the overall participation rate for year to December 2022 sits at 29 percent. This is stable compared to year to December 2021 but lower than the participation rates we saw before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Figure 2: Proportion of respondents participating in at least one form of gambling in the past four weeks, excluding those only playing National Lottery draw products, by gender and age
Data from chart
Proportion of respondents participating in at least one form of gambling in the past four weeks, excluding those only playing National Lottery draw products by all respondents.
| Year | All respondents (percent) |
|---|---|
| Year to December 2018 | 32.1% |
| Year to December 2019 | 32.5% |
| Year to December 2020 | 28.2% |
| Year to December 2021 | 28.6% |
| Year to December 2022 | 29.2% |
| Significant 2021 to 2022 †† | No |
Proportion of respondents participating in at least one form of gambling in the past four weeks, excluding those only playing National Lottery draw products by gender.
| Gender | Male (percent) | Female (percent) |
|---|---|---|
| Year to December 2018 | 36.9% | 27.5% |
| Year to December 2019 | 35.6% | 29.5% |
| Year to December 2020 | 29.8% | 26.7% |
| Year to December 2021 | 28.2% | 29.1% |
| Year to December 2022 | 31.3% | 27.2% |
| Significant 2021 to 2022 †† | Yes | No |
Proportion of respondents participating in at least one form of gambling in the past four weeks, excluding those only playing National Lottery draw products by age.
| Age | 16 to 24 year olds (percent) | 25 to 34 year olds (percent) | 35 to 44 year olds (percent) | 45 to 54 year olds (percent) | 55 to 64 year olds (percent) | 65 year olds and over (percent) | Year to December 2018 | 34.6% | 39.6% | 32.2% | 32.1% | 32.0% | 24.5% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year to December 2019 | 38.2% | 40.5% | 35.3% | 32.0% | 27.2% | 25.5% |
| Year to December 2020 | 30.0% | 29.5% | 29.3% | 31.0% | 26.8% | 24.4% |
| Year to December 2021 | 28.9% | 31.5% | 27.4% | 30.9% | 29.0% | 25.3% |
| Year to December 2022 | 32.6% | 32.6% | 29.4% | 27.1% | 29.2% | 26.6% |
| Significant 2021 to 2022 †† | No | No | No | No | No | No |
†† Statistically significant change from Year to December 2021 at the 95 percent level.
In year to December 2022, participation in many activities have remained statistically stable, compared to the previous year. The most popular gambling activities remained National Lottery draws (29 percent), followed by other lotteries (13 percent) and scratchcards (8 percent).
In year to December 2022, National Lottery draws experienced a significant increase in participation compared to year to December 2021.
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Gambling behaviour 2022 - In person gambling participation
Last updated: 3 May 2023
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