Commission publishes third annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain

16 July 2026

The Gambling Commission has today published the third annual report from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB).

The survey has provided three consecutive years of official statistics from 2023 to 2025 on gambling participation, behaviours, attitudes and consequences across Great Britain.

Produced by the National Centre for Social Research and the University of Glasgow, GSGB is one of the world's largest dedicated gambling surveys, with around 20,000 respondents each year. Its methodology has been independently reviewed and provides the most comprehensive picture currently available of consumers’ views of their gambling, including the National Lottery, in Great Britain.

The survey enables robust trend analysis, allowing the Commission and external stakeholders to identify patterns, track changes over time and develop a deeper understanding of how gambling participation and experiences are evolving.

Key findings from this year's report include:

• headline participation rates are stable. In 2025, 47 percent of participants aged 18 and over told us they participated in any form of gambling in the past four weeks (27 percent excluding lottery draws only players)
• the most common reasons for adults to participate in gambling were, for the chance of winning big money (84 percent), because gambling is fun (69 percent), to make money (57 percent) and because it was exciting (53 percent)
• the level of the population reporting a PGSI score of 8 or more is stable over the three years (2.4 percent in 2025)
• the majority of gamblers have a positive or neutral feeling towards their gambling. When asked to rate their feelings towards gambling 78 percent had a positive or neutral view.

Tim Miller, Executive Director for Research and Policy, 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."

Note to editors

1. The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) is the official statistics publication on gambling in Great Britain.
2. The survey is designed to be used alongside other evidence sources to provide the most comprehensive picture of gambling participation and behaviour.
3. While the wider evidence landscape remains important, direct comparisons between GSGB and surveys using different methodologies are not appropriate. The correct comparison is between successive waves of GSGB, which now provide three-years of consistent, comparable trend data.
4. The survey is conducted by the National Centre for Social Research in partnership with the University of Glasgow.
5. Approximately 20,000 adults aged 18 and over are interviewed each year, making it one of the world's largest dedicated gambling surveys.
6. The publication of the 2025 annual report provides three consecutive years of comparable data, enabling robust trend analysis for the first time.
7. The GSGB is a nationally representative survey producing estimates of gambling behaviours amongst the population and as with any methodology has its own strengths and weaknesses. You can access a full technical report which sets out more detail about these strengths and weaknesses, including the risk of over estimation and under estimation of survey estimates.
8. The interactive Power BI dashboard (opens in new tab) has been updated to include all three years of GSGB data.
9. Two supplementary reports exploring gambling-related consequences have been published alongside the annual report.
10. Additional supplementary reports based on GSGB data will be published throughout the year.

Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI)

‘Problem gambling’ means gambling to a degree that compromises, disrupts or damages family, personal or recreational pursuits. We currently measure problem gambling prevalence rates via a number of screening tools including the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). This screen measures the following:

• PGSI score of 8 and over represents problem gambling by which a person will have experienced adverse consequences from gambling and may have lost control of their behaviour. Involvement in gambling can be at any level, but it is likely to be heavy
• PGSI score of 3 to 7 represents moderate risk gambling by which a person may or may not have experienced any adverse consequences from gambling but may be at risk if they are heavily involved in gambling
• PGSI score of 1 to 2 represents low risk gambling by which a person is unlikely to have experienced any adverse consequences from gambling but may be at risk if they are heavily involved in gambling.

More information about the PGSI screen can be found here Problem gambling screens.

For all media enquiries, please contact the Gambling Commission press office.

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Last updated: 16 July 2026

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