Report
Gambling Survey for Great Britain - Annual report (2023): Official statistics
Gambling Survey for Great Britain - annual report (2023): Official statistics
Gambling participation
This section cross refers to information that can be found in an accompanying set of data tables, specifically Tables B.1 to B.8.
A main aim of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) is to provide data on gambling participation in Great Britain. This chapter covers gambling participation and gambling behaviours of adults aged 18 and over, focusing first on the proportion of adults who had gambled on any activities, followed by those who had gambled on specific types of activities. This chapter also looks at the total number of different activities participants had taken part in.
Participation in gambling
Participants were asked about gambling in 2 time periods: the past 12 months and the past 4 weeks. This section outlines participation in gambling activities in these 2 time periods, followed by participation in online gambling, in person gambling and individual gambling activities in the past 4 weeks only.
Definitions
Past 12 months gambling
Participants were provided with a list of 19 types of gambling legally available in Great Britain and asked which of these activities they had participated in in the past 12 months. They were also asked about any private betting or gambling they may have done in the same period. Participants who answered yes to participating in one or more gambling activity are described in this report as participating in gambling in the past 12 months.
Past 4 weeks gambling
Participants who had participated in any gambling activity in the past 12 months were then asked if they had participated in the same gambling activity or activities within the past 4 weeks. Participants who answered yes to one or more gambling activity are described in this report as participating in gambling in the past 4 weeks.
In person gambling
In person gambling includes activities such as purchasing lottery tickets from a shop or vendor as well as visits to gambling venues like bingo halls, bookmakers, casinos or using fruit and slot machines. Participants who gambled in person may have also taken part in online gambling activities.
Online gambling
Online gambling includes activities such as online instant win games, betting online or via an app and playing games like bingo, casino games, online slots either online or via an app. Participants who gambled online may have also taken part in in person gambling activities.
Analysis excluding lottery draws only
Some participants only answered yes to participating in National Lottery or other charity lottery draw based games (and no other gambling activity). This group has behaviours and motivations that are distinct from participants who take part in other gambling activities. Therefore, analysis in this chapter is presented both including and excluding people who have only taken part in lottery draws in order to be able to see different patterns in the data.
Number of activities
The number of discrete gambling activities was calculated for those who had participated in a gambling activity in the past 4 weeks. Participants who had not participated in any gambling activity in the past 4 weeks were coded as not having taken part in any activities. In this report, responses for participation in 1 to 5 activities are reported individually. Participation in more activities is grouped together based on response patterns (most participants took part in fewer than 5 activities). These groupings vary depending on analysis, but include 5 or more, 6 to 9, and 10 or more activities.
Full list of gambling activities
The list of gambling activities presented to participants was refined and tested during the development stages of the GSGB. The aim was to update the list used in previous surveys to better represent forms of commercial gambling currently available in Great Britain and to better capture engagement in different online gambling formats. The following table shows the full list of gambling activities and indicates whether they were asked about for the past 12 months and the past 4 weeks. High level groups are presented in bold.
| Activity | Asked if participated in past 12 months | Asked if participated in past 4 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Tickets for National Lottery draws | Yes | Yes |
| Tickets for National Lottery draws bought online | No | Yes |
| Tickets for National Lottery draws bought in person | No | Yes |
| Lotto | No | Yes |
| Euromillions | No | Yes |
| Thunderball | No | Yes |
| Lotto Hotpicks | No | Yes |
| Euromillions Hotpicks | No | Yes |
| Set for Life | No | Yes |
| Tickets for other charity lottery draws | Yes | Yes |
| Tickets for other charity lottery draws bought online | No | Yes |
| Tickets for other charity lottery draws bought in person | No | Yes |
| Health Lottery | No | Yes |
| Postcode Lottery | No | Yes |
| Other lottery tickets, including charity | No | Yes |
| Scratchcards | Yes | Yes |
| National Lottery scratchcards | Yes | Yes |
| Other scratchcards | Yes | Yes |
| Online instant win games | Yes | Yes |
| National Lottery online instant win games | Yes | Yes |
| Other online instant win games | Yes | Yes |
| Betting | Yes | Yes |
| Betting on sports and racing online or via an app | Yes | Yes |
| Betting on sports and racing in person | Yes | Yes |
| Live football | No | Yes |
| Live tennis | No | Yes |
| Live horse and/or dog racing | No | Yes |
| Other live sports | No | Yes |
| E-sports | No | Yes |
| Virtual games and/or races | No | Yes |
| Betting exchange | No | Yes |
| Betting on the outcome of events online or via an app | Yes | Yes |
| Betting on the outcome of events in person | Yes | Yes |
| Bingo | Yes | Yes |
| Bingo online or via an app | Yes | Yes |
| Bingo played at a venue, for example bingo hall or social club | Yes | Yes |
| Casino games | Yes | Yes |
| Casino games played online or via an app | Yes | Yes |
| Casino games played at a casino | Yes | Yes |
| Casino games played on a machine or terminal in a venue, such as a casino, bookmakers, club, or pub | Yes | Yes |
| Fruit and slots games | Yes | Yes |
| Fruit and slots games played online or via an app | Yes | Yes |
| Fruit and slots games played in person (on a machine) | Yes | Yes |
| Football pools | Yes | Yes |
| Private betting | Yes | Yes |
| Another form of gambling activity | Yes | Yes |
Overall gambling participation
Past 12 months gambling participation
In the past 12 months, 61 percent of adults participated in any form of gambling, with 40 percent gambling on activities other than lottery draws alone (Table B.1).
Male participants were more likely than female participants to have gambled in the past 12 months, both overall (63 percent for males; 58 percent for females) and on activities other than lottery draws alone (42 percent and 39 percent respectively).
Gambling on any activity in the past 12 months varied by age with lower rates among those aged 18 to 24 (53 percent) and 75 and over (50 percent) and higher rates among those aged 25 to 64, where rates ranged between 62 percent and 66 percent. A different pattern by age was observed for gambling on activities other than lottery draws alone: here rates were highest among those aged 25 to 44 (52 percent for those aged 25 to 34 and 50 percent for those aged 35 to 44) and then decreased with age to 19 percent for those aged 75 and over.
Figure 1: Gambling participation in the past 12 months including and excluding lottery draws only, by sex
Base: Adults aged 18 and over (9,740 unweighted)
| Gambling participation in the past 12 months | Male (percentage) | Female (percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| Any gambling participation (including lottery draws) | 63% | 58% |
| Gambling participation excluding lottery draws only | 42% | 39% |
Past 4 weeks gambling participation
When looking at gambling participation, the default analysis in this report uses participation in the past 4 weeks.
Overall, 48 percent of adults participated in any form of gambling in the past 4 weeks, with 27 percent gambling on an activity other than lottery draws alone (Table B.2).
As with gambling participation in the past 12 months, male participants (52 percent) were more likely than female participants (44 percent) to have participated in any form of gambling in the past 4 weeks. Male participants (30 percent) were also more likely than female participants (24 percent) to have gambled on something other than lottery draws alone in the past 4 weeks.
Gambling participation in any activity in the past 4 weeks was lowest among the youngest and oldest age groups (37 percent of those aged 18 to 24, and 41 percent of those aged 75 and over) and highest among those aged 45 to 64 (53 percent). Gambling in the past 4 weeks on something other than lottery draws only was highest for those aged 18 to 44 (33 to 34 percent) and subsequently decreased with age to 13 percent of those aged 75 and over.
Figure 2: Gambling participation in the past 4 weeks including and excluding lottery draws only, by age group
Base: Adults aged 18 and over (9,673 unweighted)
| Gambling participation in the past four weeks | 18 to 24 (percentage) | 25 to 34 (percentage) | 35 to 44 (percentage) | 45 to 54 (percentage) | 55 to 64 (percentage) | 65 to 74 (percentage) | 75 and over (percentage) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any gambling participation (including lottery draws) | 37% | 45% | 51% | 53% | 53% | 49% | 41% |
| Gambling participation excluding lottery draws only | 33% | 34% | 34% | 29% | 24% | 17% | 13% |
Online and in person gambling participation
Online gambling participation in the past 4 weeks
Over a third (37 percent) of adults had gambled online in the past 4 weeks. When excluding those whose only online activity was purchasing online lottery tickets, the figure reduces to 15 percent (Table B.3).
Male participants were more likely than female participants to have gambled online in the past 4 weeks (42 percent and 32 percent respectively) and to have gambled online on activities other than lottery draws in the past 4 weeks (19 percent for males; 11 percent for females).
Gambling online on any activities in the past 4 weeks was highest among those aged 45 to 54 (44 percent) and 55 to 64 (43 percent) and lowest among those aged 18 to 24 (25 percent) and 75 and over (30 percent). A different pattern by age was seen when looking at gambling online on activities other than lottery draws. Here, the rates were highest for the younger participants (between 20 percent and 21 percent for those aged 18 to 44) and decreased with age to 3 percent of those aged 75 and over.
Figure 3: Online gambling participation in the past 4 weeks including and excluding lottery draws only, by age group
Base: Adults aged 18 and over (9,633 unweighted)
| Online gambling participation in the past 4 weeks | 18 to 24 (percentage) | 25 to 34 (percentage) | 35 to 44 (percentage) | 45 to 54 (percentage) | 55 to 64 (percentage) | 65 to 74 (percentage) | 75 and over (percentage) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any online gambling participation (including lottery draws) | 25% | 33% | 41% | 44% | 43% | 37% | 30% |
| Online gambling participation excluding lottery draws only | 20% | 20% | 21% | 17% | 11% | 7% | 3% |
In person gambling participation in the past 4 weeks
Overall, 29 percent of adults had gambled in person in the past 4 weeks. This included purchasing lottery tickets from a shop or vendor as well as visits to gambling venues like bingo halls, bookmakers, casinos or using fruit and slot machines. Excluding those who only bought tickets for lottery draws in person, 18 percent of participants gambled in person on some other activity (Table B.4).
In person gambling participation in the past 4 weeks was higher among male participants (31 percent) than female participants (28 percent). In person gambling participation in the past 4 weeks excluding lottery draws only was similar for males and females (19 percent for males; 18 percent for females).
Adults aged 55 to 64 (32 percent) were most likely to have participated in any in person gambling in the past 4 weeks and adults aged 18 to 24 (25 percent) were least likely.
As with gambling online on activities other than lottery draws, a different pattern by age was evident when lottery draws only were excluded: rates of gambling in person on activities other than lottery draws only decreased with age from 23 percent of those aged 18 to 44 to 10 percent of those aged 75 and over.
Figure 4: In person gambling participation in the past 4 weeks including and excluding lottery draws only, by age group
Base: Adults aged 18 and over (9,633 unweighted)
| In person gambling participation in the past 4 weeks | 18 to 24 (percentage) | 25 to 34 (percentage) | 35 to 44 (percentage) | 45 to 54 (percentage) | 55 to 64 (percentage) | 65 to 74 (percentage) | 75 and over (percentage) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any in person gambling participation (including lottery draws) | 25% | 28% | 31% | 30% | 32% | 30% | 27% |
| In person gambling participation excluding lottery draws only | 23% | 23% | 23% | 19% | 16% | 12% | 10% |
Individual gambling activities participation
Participation in types of gambling activities
Participants were asked about their gambling participation in the past 4 weeks for individual activities (tickets for National Lottery draws, charity lotteries, scratchcards, online instant win games, betting, bingo, casino games, fruit and slot machines, football pools, private betting and other forms of gambling activity). The full list of activities is shown and are grouped into 10 high-level categories or types of gambling activity (Table B.5).
Amongst the 10 high-level categories, the most common gambling activity undertaken in the past 4 weeks was the purchase of National Lottery tickets (either in person or online), with 31 percent of adults reporting this. This was followed by:
- tickets for other charity lotteries (16 percent)
- scratchcards (13 percent)
- any betting online or in person (9 percent).
The least reported activity was football pools, undertaken by 2 percent of all participants in the past 4 weeks.
Male participants were more likely than female participants to take part in the following activities:
- buying tickets for the National Lottery (35 percent males; 28 percent females)
- participating in any betting online or in person (15 percent males; 4 percent females)
- playing fruit and slot machines in person or playing online slots (6 percent males; 3 percent females)
- playing casino games online or in person (4 percent males; 1 percent females)
- participating in private betting (4 percent males; 2 percent females)
- participating in football pools (3 percent males; 1 percent females).
A higher proportion of female than male participants bought scratchcards (14 percent females; 13 percent males) and played bingo (either online or in person) (6 percent females; 3 percent males).
Participation in the past 4 weeks for charity lotteries and online instant win games was similar for male and female participants.
Figure 5: Gambling participation in the past 4 weeks, by type of activity and sex
Base: Adults aged 18 and over (9,671 unweighted)
i Includes both online and in person gambling
| Gambling activity | Male (percentage) | Female (percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| Any gambling i | 52% | 44% |
| National Lottery draws i | 35% | 28% |
| Charity lottery draws i | 15% | 16% |
| Betting i | 15% | 4% |
| Scratchcards | 13% | 14% |
| Online instant win games | 7% | 6% |
| Fruit and slots machines i | 6% | 3% |
| Casino games i | 4% | 1% |
| Private betting | 4% | 2% |
| Bingo i | 3% | 6% |
| Football pools | 3% | 1% |
Patterns of gambling participation by age varied for different types of gambling activities. Participation in National Lottery draws increased with age up to 64, from 13 percent of those aged 18 to 24 to 40 percent of those aged 55 to 64 then decreased amongst older participants (to 34 percent of those aged 65 to 74 and 29 percent among those aged 75 and over). Participation in other charity lottery draws followed a similar pattern with the highest participation among those aged 65 to 74 (22 percent compared with between 6 percent and 20 percent in the other age groups).
Younger adults were more likely than older adults to have participated in:
- any betting online or in person (14 percent for those aged 25 to 34; 3 to 6 percent for those aged 65 and over)
- bingo online or in person (7 percent for those aged 18 to 24 compared with 3 to 4 percent for those aged 45 and over)
- casino games online or in person (6 percent for those aged 18 to 24 compared with 0 or 1 percent for those aged 55 and over).
Participation peaked at age 35 to 44 for online instant win games and fruit and slot games online or in person (10 percent and 7 percent respectively). Purchasing of scratchcards was highest among those aged 25 to 44 (18 percent) before decreasing by age.
Types of lottery draw participation
Over one third (36 percent) of adults had participated in any lottery draw in the past 4 weeks, with just under one third (31 percent) purchasing tickets for National Lottery draws (Table B.6).
Lotto (22 percent) and Euromillions (21 percent) were the most popular National Lottery draws. Less than 10 percent of adults purchased tickets for each of the other National Lottery draws in the past 4 weeks: Set for Life (6 percent), Thunderball (4 percent), Lotto Hotpicks (1 percent) and Euromillions Hotpicks (1 percent).
Male participants were more likely than females to participate in:
- Lotto (24 percent males; 19 percent females)
- Euromillions (24 percent males; 17 percent females)
- Set for Life (6 percent males; 5 percent females)
- Thunderball (5 percent males; 3 percent females).
Participation in Lotto Hotpicks, Euromillions Hotpicks and other charity lottery draws was similar for male and female participants (1 percent for both in all activities).
Figure 6: Lottery draw participation in the past 4 weeks, by sex
Base: Adults aged 18 and over (9,671 unweighted)
| Type of lottery draw | Male (percentage) | Female (percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| Lotto | 24% | 19% |
| Euromillions | 24% | 17% |
| Set for Life | 6% | 5% |
| Thunderball | 5% | 3% |
| Lotto Hotpicks | 1% | 1% |
| Euromillions Hotpicks | 1% | 1% |
| Other charity lottery draws | 15% | 15% |
| Any National Lottery draw | 35% | 28% |
| Any lottery draw | 39% | 34% |
Types of betting participation
9 percent of adults had participated in any online or in person betting in the past 4 weeks (Table B.5).
Participants were asked about the types of betting they had participated in in the past 4 weeks, including different sports, virtual games, in-play betting, and betting exchanges. The type of betting with the highest participation in the past 4 weeks was live football (6 percent), followed by betting in-play on any event or sport (4 percent) and live horse or dog racing (3 percent) (Table B.7).
Participation in all types of betting was higher for male than female participants. For example, 11 percent of male participants had bet on live football matches compared with 2 percent of female participants.
Figure 7: Type of betting participation in the past 4 weeks, by sex
Base: Adults aged 18 and over (9,672 unweighted)
| Types of betting | Male (percentage) | Female (percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| Live football | 11% | 2% |
| Live horse or dog racing | 5% | 2% |
| Bet in-play | 6% | 1% |
| Other live sports | 2% | 0% |
| Used a betting exchange | 2% | 0% |
| Live tennis | 1% | 0% |
| Virtual games or races | 0% | 0% |
| E-sports | 0% | 0% |
Number of gambling activities
Analysis on number of activities was conducted for those who had participated in gambling in the past 4 weeks only. Almost half of those who had gambled in the past 4 weeks participated in one activity (47 percent). This was followed by 27 percent who had participated in 2 activities and 12 percent who participated in 3 activities. Only 1 percent of adults had participated in 10 or more activities. For those who had gambled in the past 4 weeks, the average (mean) number of activities taken part in was 2.2 (Table B.8).
On average, male participants took part in more activities than female participants (2.4 and 2.1 respectively). Among male and female participants who had gambled in the past 4 weeks, the highest proportions participated in one activity (46 percent and 48 percent respectively).
The number of activities participated in also varied by age. Participating in one activity only increased with age from 37 percent of those aged 18 to 24 to 59 percent of those aged 75 and over. Participation in 3 or more activities was highest in those aged 35 to 44 (36 percent) and 18 to 24 (35 percent), decreasing to 12 percent of those aged 75 and over. The average (mean) number of groups of activities, among those who had gambled in the past 4 weeks, also decreased with age: from 3.1 among those aged 18 to 24 to 1.6 among those aged 75 and over.
Figure 8: Number of gambling activities taken part in, in the past 4 weeks, by age
Base: Adults aged 18 and over who gambled in the past 4 weeks (4,593 unweighted)
| Number of gambling activities | 18 to 24 (percentage) | 25 to 34 (percentage) | 35 to 44 (percentage) | 45 to 54 (percentage) | 55 to 64 (percentage) | 65 to 74 (percentage) | 75 and over (percentage) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 37% | 43% | 40% | 44% | 52% | 57% | 59% |
| 2 | 28% | 24% | 25% | 25% | 28% | 29% | 29% |
| 3 | 9% | 12% | 15% | 14% | 12% | 7% | 8% |
| 4 | 8% | 6% | 10% | 8% | 5% | 3% | 3% |
| 5 or more | 19% | 14% | 11% | 8% | 3% | 3% | 1% |
GSGB Annual report - Response to the survey Next section
GSGB Annual report - Experiences of and reasons for gambling
Last updated: 25 July 2024
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