Report
Gambling Survey for Great Britain - Annual report (2024): Official statistics
Gambling Survey for Great Britain - Annual report (2024): Official statistics
Problem Gambling Severity Index
This section cross refers to information that can be found in an accompanying set of data tables, specifically tables D.1 to D.10.
The PGSI is used to measure both behavioural symptoms of gambling disorder and certain adverse consequences from gambling. The PGSI consists of 9 items that are rated on a 4 point-scale. Responses to the 9 PGSI questions are summed and a score ranging between 0 and 27 is computed. Scores are then grouped into the following categories:
- PGSI score of 0 (a person who gambles, but does not report experiencing any of the 9 behavioural symptoms or adverse consequences asked about)
- PGSI score of 1 to 2 (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)
- PGSI score of 3 to 7 (moderate risk gambling by which a person may or may not have experienced adverse consequences from gambling but may be at risk if they are heavily involved in gambling)
- PGSI score of 8 or higher (problem gambling by which a person will have experienced adverse consequences from their gambling and may have lost control of their behaviour. Involvement in gambling can be at any level but is likely to be heavy).
The PGSI categories represent a continuum of risk, ranging from those experiencing no adverse consequences or behavioural symptoms of disorder to those experiencing both. Estimates of gambling and its impacts vary substantially depending on survey methodology, with the GSGB typically reporting higher PGSI scores than more traditional face to face surveys. Research has recently been undertaken to explore the impact of survey mode (opens in new tab) in more detail, finding that a good part of the difference in PGSI estimates between online and in-person interview surveys is due to downward biases as a result of interviewer administration.
In 2024, among all participants:
- 8.8 percent (95 percent CI: 7.9 to 9.8) had a PGSI score of 1 to 2
- 3.1 percent (95 percent CI: 2.8 to 3.6) had a PGSI score of 3 to 7
- 2.7 percent (95 percent CI: 2.2 to 3.2) had a PGSI score of 8 or more.
The prevalence of each PGSI score category was similar to 2023, where 8.3 percent (95 percent CI: 7.3 to 9.3) had a score of 1 to 2, 3.7 percent (95 percent CI: 3.0 to 4.4) had a score of 3 to 7 and 2.5 percent (95 percent CI: 2.0 to 3.1) had a score of 8 or more.
Among those who had gambled in the past 12 months:
- 14.8 percent had a PGSI score of 1 to 2
- 5.3 percent had a PGSI score of 3 to 7
- 4.5 percent had a PGSI score 8 or more.
Male participants who had gambled in the past 12 months were more likely to have higher PGSI scores (16.5 percent scored 1 to 2 on the PGSI, 6.6 percent scored 3 to 7 on the PGSI and 6.0 percent scored 8 or more on the PGSI) than female participants (13.0 percent scored 1 to 2 on the PGSI, 3.9 percent scored 3 to 7 on the PGSI and 2.8 percent scored 8 or more on the PGSI).
Younger participants who had gambled in the past 12 months were more likely to have higher PGSI scores than older participants, 10.2 percent of those aged 18 to 24 scored 8 or more on the PGSI and 0.5 per cent aged 75 and over scored 8 or more on the PGSI. Similarly, 9.4 percent of those aged 18 to 24 scored 3 to 7 on the PGSI compared to 1.5 percent among those aged 75 and over.
The proportion of participants with a PGSI score of 8 or more was over 9 times higher for those who had taken part in betting on non-sports events, such as TV shows, in person relative to all participants who had gambled in the past 12 months.
The proportion of participants with a PGSI score of 8 or more was also around 5 times higher relative to all participants who had gambled in the past 12 months for several activities such as:
- online slots
- casino games
- football pools
- betting on non-sports events online.
The proportion of participants with a PGSI score of 8 or more was highest among those living in the most deprived areas (as measured using Index of Multiple Deprivation scores presented by quintiles) of England, Scotland and Wales. In England the proportion of participants with a PGSI score of 8 or more was 5.9 percent among those living in the most deprived areas and 1.0 percent among those living in the least deprived areas. In Scotland, the proportion of participants with a PGSI score of 8 or more was 11.0 percent for those living in the most deprived areas and between 0.5 and 0.7 percent for those living in the 3 least deprived areas. In Wales, the proportion of participants with a PGSI score of 8 or more was 5.8 percent for those living in the most deprived areas and between 2.4 and 2.8 percent in the least deprived areas.
Further exploration of the relationship between the profiles of those who participate in gambling more frequently and PGSI scores can be found in the Investigating the profiles of those who gamble more frequently report and the Exploring the relationship between gambling activities and Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores report.
Previous sectionGSGB Annual report 2024 - Headline statistics Next section
GSGB Annual report 2024 - Consequences from gambling
Last updated: 2 October 2025
Show updates to this content
No changes to show.