Report
Gambling Survey for Great Britain - Annual report (2023): Official statistics
Gambling Survey for Great Britain - annual report (2023): Official statistics
Experiences of and reasons for gambling
This section cross refers to information that can be found in an accompanying set of data tables, specifically Tables C.1 to C.3.
The purpose of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) is to provide a broad understanding of gambling behaviours across Great Britain. This includes understanding how gambling fits into people’s lives, the motivations and reasons why people participate in gambling and their gambling experiences. This chapter covers participation in leisure activities, feelings towards gambling, and reasons for taking part in gambling activities.
Definitions
Leisure activities
Participants were asked if they had taken part in 14 types of leisure activities in the past 4 weeks:
- spend time with friends and/or family
- read for pleasure
- listen to music
- watch TV
- eat out at restaurants
- go to pubs, bars or clubs
- do DIY or gardening
- go shopping (to the high street or shopping centre)
- do sports and/or exercise
- do arts or crafts
- play a musical instrument or make music
- go to the cinema, theatre or music concerts
- visit museums or galleries
- attend religious service and/or place of worship.
This question was asked as a multi-code question and participants could select as many activities as applied to them.
Feelings towards gambling
Adults who had participated in gambling in the past 12 months were asked to rate how they felt the last time they spent money on gambling on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 was ‘hated it’ and 10 was ‘loved it’. A score of 5 represented the midpoint where participants neither loved nor hated gambling the last time they did it.
Reasons for gambling
Adults who had participated in gambling in the past 12 months were asked about their reasons for gambling, using the reasons for Gambling Questionnaire developed for the British Gambling Prevalence Survey (BGPS) 2010 (opens new tab) (PDF). Participants were presented with a list of 15 possible reasons for gambling covering the following 5 domains: gambling for social reasons, enhancement reasons, monetary reasons, recreational reasons and coping reasons. Participants were asked to report how often they took part in gambling activities for each reason listed:
- for the chance of winning big money
- because it is fun
- as a hobby or pastime
- to escape boredom or to fill my time
- because I am worried about not winning if I do not play
- to compete with others (for example, bookmaker, other gamblers)
- because it is exciting
- for the mental challenge or to learn about the game or activity
- because of the sense of achievement when I win
- to impress other people
- to be sociable
- because it helps when I am feeling tense
- to make money
- to relax
- because it is something that I do with my friends or family.
Answer options were: ‘always’, ‘often’, ‘sometimes’, ‘never’. When answering these questions, participants were asked to think about all the activities they gambled on.
Types of leisure activities
Over 90 percent of adults spent time with friends and family (98 percent), watched TV (95 percent), and listened to music (91 percent) in the past 4 weeks. A majority also reported shopping (80 percent), eating out at restaurants (73 percent), participating in sports or exercise (64 percent) or doing DIY or gardening (61 percent). Half had gone to pubs, bars or clubs (50 percent) (Table C.1). By comparison, 48 percent of adults had gambled on any form of gambling in the past 4 weeks (Table B.2), making gambling less popular than these activities. Furthermore, 27 percent had gambled on activities other than lottery draws alone, making engagement in other forms of gambling similar to doing arts or crafts (29 percent) or visiting museums or galleries (22 percent).
Those who had gambled on any form of activity in the past 4 weeks (both including and excluding those who gambled on lottery draws only) were just as likely as other participants to engage in these other leisure activities. Exceptions were going to pubs, bars and clubs, where those who had gambled were more likely to report this (55 percent for those who gambled on any type of activity; 60 percent for those who gambled on activities other than lottery draws only) than all participants (regardless of their gambling participation) (50 percent). Those who gambled on activities other than lottery draws only were also more likely to go to the cinema (42 percent) than all participants (regardless of their gambling participation) (37 percent) but were less likely to read for pleasure (60 percent) than all participants (regardless of their gambling participation) (68 percent). People who had gambled in the past 4 weeks (on any form of activity or on activities other than lottery draws only) were also less likely to attend a religious service in the past 4 weeks (14 percent) than all participants (regardless of their gambling participation) (19 percent). Some of these patterns may be related to the age and sex of people who had gambled in the past 4 weeks.
Figure 9: Types of leisure activities in the past 4 weeks, by gambling participation
Base: Adults aged 18 and over (9,750 unweighted)
Notes: Types of leisure activities were asked as multiple-choice question; more than one option may have been chosen by the same participant.
| Leisure activities | All participants (percentage) | All who had gambled in the past 4 weeks (percentage) | All who had gambled in the past 4 weeks (excluding lottery draws only) (percentage) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spend time with friends and/or family | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| Watch TV | 95% | 96% | 95% |
| Listen to music | 91% | 92% | 93% |
| Go shopping | 80% | 81% | 81% |
| Eat out at restaurants | 73% | 74% | 74% |
| Read for pleasure | 68% | 65% | 60% |
| Do sports or exercise | 64% | 62% | 63% |
| Do DIY or gardening | 61% | 63% | 69% |
| Go to pubs, clubs or bars | 50% | 55% | 60% |
| Go to the cinema, theatre or music concerts | 37% | 37% | 42% |
| Do arts or crafts | 29% | 27% | 27% |
| Visit museums or galleries | 22% | 20% | 22% |
| Attend religious service or place of worship | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Play a musical instrument or make music | 12% | 11% | 12% |
Feelings towards gambling
Participants who had gambled in the past 12 months were asked about their feelings towards gambling the last time they participated. Over a third of participants (37 percent) who had gambled on any activity had a score of 5, expressing that they neither loved nor hated gambling the last time they gambled. A further 41 percent had a score between 6 and 10, expressing positive feelings towards gambling, whereas 21 percent had a score between 0 and 4 expressing more negative feelings towards gambling. Equal proportions (4 percent) had a score of 10 (the most positive feelings) and a score of 0 (the most negative feelings)(Table C.2).
Among those gambling on activities other than lottery draws only, the pattern was similar, though a slightly lower proportion had a score of 5 (31 percent) and a slightly higher proportion had a score between 6 and 10 (50 percent), representing more positive feelings about gambling.
Figure 10: Feelings towards gambling, by gambling participation in the past 12 months
Base: Adults aged 18 and over (5,550 unweighted)
| Gambling participation in the past 12 months | 0 to 4 - negative feelings (percentage) | 5 - neutral (percentage) | 6 to 10 - positive feelings (percentage) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All who had gambled in the past 12 months | 21% | 37% | 41% |
| All who had gambled in the past 12 months (excluding lottery draws only) | 19% | 31% | 50% |
Reasons for gambling
Participants who gambled in the past 12 months were asked about 15 different reasons for participating in gambling, and asked to indicate how often they took part in gambling for each reason. Most adults reported gambling, at least sometimes, for the chance of winning big money (86 percent), because gambling is fun (70 percent), to make money (58 percent) or because it was exciting (55 percent). However, 14 percent reported never gambling to for the chance of winning big money; 30 percent reported never gambling because they think it is fun; 42 percent reported never gambling to make money and 45 percent reported never gambling because it is exciting (Table C.3).
A minority of adults who gambled endorsed one of the other reasons for gambling. This ranged from 44 percent reporting they at least sometimes gambled because of the sense of achievement when they won to 8 percent who gambled to impress other people.
These patterns of endorsement are broadly similar to those reported in the BGPS 2010 (opens in new tab) (PDF), the last time these questions were asked in a national gambling survey.
Figure 11: Reasons for gambling in the past 12 months
Base: Adults aged 18 and over who had gambled in the past 12 months (5,814 unweighted)
| Reasons for gambling | All participants (percentage) |
|---|---|
| For the chance of winning big money | 86% |
| Because it is fun | 70% |
| To make money | 58% |
| Because it is exciting | 55% |
| Because of the sense of achievement | 44% |
| Because it is something that I do with others | 34% |
| As a hobby or pastime | 27% |
| To be sociable | 24% |
| To escape boredom or to fill my time | 23% |
| To relax | 22% |
| Because I am worried about not winning | 20% |
| For the mental challenge or to learn | 19% |
| Because it helps when I am feeling tense | 11% |
| To compete with others | 9% |
| To impress other people | 8% |
Notes: Percentages shown are for those who reported sometimes, often or always as a reason for gambling for each statement.
Male participants were more likely than female participants to report gambling, at least sometimes, to make money (62 percent and 54 percent respectively), as a hobby or pastime (31 percent and 23 percent respectively), and for the challenge (23 percent and 16 percent).
Compared with older adults, younger adults were more likely to gamble:
- for fun (80 to 83 percent of those aged 18 to 34; 55 to 58 percent of those aged 65 and over)
- out of boredom (30 to 34 percent of those aged 18 to 34; 11 to 12 percent of those aged 65 and over)
- to compete with others (24 percent of those aged 18 to 24; 3 to 4 percent of those aged 55 and over)
- for excitement (72 to 73 percent of those aged 18 to 34; 28 percent of those aged 75 and over)
- for the challenge (31 percent of those aged 18 to 24; 10 percent of those aged 75 and over)
- for a sense of achievement (52 to 57 percent of those aged 18 to 34; 35 percent of those aged 65 and over)
- to be sociable (43 percent of those aged 18 to 24; 12 percent of those aged 75 and over)
- to help when feeling tense (15 to 18 percent of those aged 18 to 34; 6 to 7 percent of those aged 55 and over).
Those aged 18 to 24 were the only age group where gambling because it was fun (83 percent) was more common than gambling to win big money (79 percent). In addition, 73 percent of those aged 18 to 24 who had gambled in the past 12 months had done so because it was exciting. Likewise, this was the only age group where a majority reported they at least sometimes gambled because it was something they did with family and friends (53 percent).
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GSGB Annual report - Consequences from gambling
Last updated: 25 July 2024
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