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Detail from 2 academic reports used to assess whether the GSGB and HSE tell a coherent story about how gambling is distributed across groups, products, and contexts.
Published: 16 July 2026
Last updated: 16 July 2026
This version was printed or saved on: 16 July 2026
Online version: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/report/gsgb-different-survey-same-story-written-by-professor-heather-wardle
The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) is one of several national surveys collecting data on gambling behaviours. To date, discussion has focused on comparing headline prevalence estimates and explaining why these differ across studies, focusing mainly on past year rates of gambling participation or Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores. In contrast, relatively little attention has been given to whether these surveys reveal consistent patterns of behaviour. Put differently, even if estimates vary, do these differing surveys tell a coherent story about how gambling—and its associated harms—is distributed across different groups, products, and contexts? Two recently published academic reports help us to assess this in more detail.
First, however, we compare patterns of gambling participation across data currently available for the GSGB and Health Survey for England (HSE) series, looking at those activities where descriptions are comparable between the 2 surveys:
| Activity1 | Gambling participation (percentage) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Survey for England 2015 to 2018 | Health Survey for England 2024 | Gambling Survey for Great Britain 2023 to 2024 | |
| National Lottery tickets | 40.7% | 30.6% | 39.7% |
| Charity Lottery | 14.4% | 15.8% | 22.3% |
| Bingo in person | 5.1% | 4.1% | 6.1% |
| Casino in person | 3.1% | 2.1% | 2.8% |
| Fruit and/or slot machines in person | 6.3% | 3.7% | 6.3% |
| Football pools | 2.7% | 1.9% | 3.2% |
| Private betting | 4.3% | 2.4% | 7.8% |
| Betting on other events with a bookmaker | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.9% |
In all surveys, the National Lottery is the most popular form of gambling, tending to be followed by charity lotteries and scratchcards (data not shown). With the exception of sports and/or horse race betting, less than 1 in 10 people take part in most other forms of gambling activity, a pattern that is consistent across all surveys. Notably, past year participation estimates for each activity were similar for the HSE 2015 to 2018 and GSGB 2023 to 2024 studies, the exception being charity lotteries. By contrast, past year gambling on each activity captured within HSE 2024 tended to be lower than the prior HSE studies or the GSGB. Future studies using the same methodology within the HSE series are needed to examine if results for 2024 are indicative of a downward trend within this series or whether they are a statistical outlier.
Two peer reviewed academic reports have further examined comparisons between the HSE series and the GSGB. These results are summarised in the following sections.
1 This table only presents data where the description of each gambling activity was broadly comparable between the different studies.
Wardle and Tipping (2025) (opens in new tab) used data from both the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) (2023, Year 1) and the Health Surveys for England (HSE) 2015 to 2018 to examine the association between engagement in different gambling products and Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores. While the 2 surveys measure participation in specific gambling formats in slightly different ways, there is sufficient overlap to assess whether they reveal consistent patterns.
Applying consistent analytic methods, the study examined whether participation in each activity was associated with PGSI scores of 8 or more, as well as with elevated PGSI scores more broadly, while taking into account overall levels of gambling involvement.
Table 1 summarises the consistency of associations between products and PGSI scores of 8 or more across the 2 studies. Both the Health Surveys and GSGB identified online casino games, online slots, and fruit and/or slot machines as being strongly associated with PGSI scores of 8 or more. The GSGB analysis additionally identified 3 further activities which were associated with PGSI scores of 8 or more where a similar pattern was not observed in the Health Surveys data. Table 2 presents the same information but this time looking at how products were associated with PGSI scores overall. Again, there was some commonality along with a couple of additional activities which were significant in one study but not the other.
Despite differences in how gambling activities were categorised, clear commonalities emerged. On this basis, the authors concluded that there is consistent evidence that online casino gambling, online slots, and electronic gambling machines are strongly associated with elevated PGSI scores and with PGSI scores of 8 or more. These findings align closely with the wider evidence base on product risk, reinforcing the robustness of the observed patterns.
This table shows product that were significant at the 99 percent level in the fully adjusted models in either the HSE or the GSGB.
This table shows product that were significant at the 99 percent level in the fully adjusted models in either the HSE or the GSGB.
In a second report Tipping et al (2025) (opens in new tab) examined the relationship between mental health and wellbeing and Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores, with a particular focus on PGSI scores between 0 and 7. While the primary analysis drew on combined English and Scottish health survey data, supplementary analysis using Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) data was also presented, providing an opportunity to assess the consistency of findings across the 2 studies.
Using the health surveys data, Tipping found that lower wellbeing - measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (opens in new tab) - was associated with increasing PGSI scores. The relationship followed an r-shaped pattern, indicating that the association with low wellbeing strengthened most sharply at the lower end of the PGSI scale, particularly between scores of 1 and 3. This analysis was replicated using GSGB data (see Tipping et al, supplementary material (opens in new tab)), which demonstrated the same pattern: lower wellbeing was associated with higher PGSI scores, and the relationship retained its r-shaped form.
These 2 reports provide valuable insights into the distribution and patterns of gambling behaviours across Great Britain. Notably, they demonstrate a high degree of consistency, identifying similar patterns in product-related risk and in the associations between Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores, with mental health and wellbeing. Although some differences in product risk were observed, the convergence of findings across different time periods, samples, and study designs strengthens confidence in the results where alignment is evident. While further work is needed to assess the extent to which different studies produce comparable findings, preliminary evidence from these reports suggests a strong level of consistency in the patterns and associations identified by the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) and the Health Survey series. Importantly, this work also aligns with the Office for Statistics Regulation recent recommendation for the GSGB, that work should be undertaken to assess its coherence and comparability with other relevant surveys.