Report
Exploring the relationship between gambling activities and Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores
This report explores the relationship between participation in individual gambling activities in the past 12 months and Problem Gambling Severity Index Scores (PGSI).
Introduction
In July 2024, the Gambling Commission (the Commission) published the first annual report from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) based on data collected in 2023. Further details about the survey methodology including its strengths and limitations are provided in the GSGB Technical report. The annual report contained a chapter about the consequences of gambling, including results from the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). In addition to examining PGSI scores by age and sex, analyses examined the proportion of people undertaking each gambling activity in the past 12 months who had a PGSI score of 8 or more. Specifically, the proportion of people with a PGSI score of 8 or more taking part in each activity was compared with the average for all people who had gambled in the past 12 months. This analysis indicated which gambling activities had higher than average proportions of people with a PGSI score of 8 or more, which had lower than average, and which had the same as average, among those using each respective product. Data from the GSGB year 1 report is shown in Figure 1, where a relative risk difference of 1 means the results for that activity are the same as average for all people who had gambled in the past 12 months, a difference greater than 1 shows they are higher than average and a difference less than 1 means they are lower than average.
Figure 1: Relative difference between activities in proportion with PGSI score of 8+, compared with overall proportion with PGSI score of 8+
| Gambling activity in the past 12 months | All participants: Gambled in the past 12 months (relative difference ratio) (number) |
|---|---|
| Betting on non-sports events (in person) | 9.9 |
| Online fruit and slots | 5.9 |
| Casino games on a machine and or terminal | 5.5 |
| Casino games at a casino | 5.2 |
| Online casino games | 5.2 |
| Betting on non-sports events (online) | 5.1 |
| Online bingo | 4.9 |
| Non-National Lottery online instant wins1 | 4.8 |
| Football pools | 4.5 |
| Fruit and or slots machines | 3.7 |
| Non-National Lottery scratchcards2 | 3.4 |
| Betting on sports and or races in person | 3.1 |
| Online betting on sports and or races | 2.1 |
| National Lottery online instant wins | 2.0 |
| Bingo in person | 2.0 |
| Private betting | 1.9 |
| National Lottery scratchcards | 1.8 |
| Charity lottery draws | 1.1 |
| National Lottery draws | 0.9 |
For those buying tickets for the National Lottery, the proportion with a PGSI score of 8 or more was similar to the average for all people who had gambled in the past 12 months.
Among those gambling on fruit and or slots machines, online bingo, betting on non-sports events online, football pools, online casino games, casino games at a casino, casino games played on a machine or terminal, and non-National Lottery online instant wins, the proportion with a PGSI score of 8 or more was between 4 to 5 times higher than average.
Finally, both online slots and betting on non-sport events in person had substantially higher than average proportions of people with a PGSI score of 8 or more. For online slots, rates were nearly 6 times higher than average and for betting on non-sports events in person, they were over 9 times higher than average.
Whilst these estimates are informative, showing which specific activities have a greater proportion of people with a PGSI score of 8 or more among their user base (itself an important metric for the identification of risk among different types of people who gamble), the strength of association may be influenced by a range of other factors.
It has previously been suggested that the association between specific gambling activities and problem gambling is driven not by engagement in specific types of gambling but rather by the fact that people who experience gambling problems engage in many different activities. This was first postulated by LaPlante et al (opens in new tab), who analysed data from the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007, observing that the relationship between specific gambling activities and problem gambling attenuated or became statistically insignificant once the number of other gambling activities undertaken was accounted for. They concluded that “greater gambling involvement better characterises disordered gambling than does any specific type of gambling”. Several studies have found similar results, though others have noted ongoing associations between some forms of gambling and problem gambling even after wider gambling involvement was taken into account. For example, Binde et al (2017) (opens in new tab) examined data from Sweden, finding that “that some forms of gambling are more closely associated with problem gambling than other forms, and that gambling policy and regulation, as well as the development of responsible gambling initiatives, should focus on these forms.” Likewise, analysis of data from Massachusetts found that gambling involvement mediates the relationship between gambling formats and problem gambling, but also that casino gambling was most associated with gambling problems across all levels of gambling involvement (Mazar et al, 2020 (opens in new tab)).
The aim of this short report is to examine whether the associations between engagement in specific gambling activities and PGSI scores observed in the GSGB year 1 (2023) report hold once broader gambling behaviours and other factors are accounted for.
References
1Non-National Lottery online instant wins are those products available on operator websites often marketed as online scratchcards for example ‘Rainbow Rewards Scratchcard’
2Non-National Lottery scratchcards are those scratchcards bought in person but that are not sold on behalf of the National Lottery
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Last updated: 6 February 2025
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