Report
Investigating the relationship between reasons for gambling and different gambling activities
This short report explores the reasons people give for taking part in gambling and how they relate to different gambling activities.
The Reasons for Gambling questionnaire
The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) used the Reasons for Gambling Questionnaire (RGQ) developed for the British Gambling Prevalence Survey (BGPS) 2010 to investigate the reasons people gave for participating in gambling activities. The RGQ built upon the work of Stewart and Zack (2008) (opens in new tab), who developed a self-reported tool to measure motivations for gambling among those who gambled. The RGQ was designed to capture a full range of reasons for participation amongst the general population, and designed to measure reasons for gambling in general, rather than motivations for engagement in specific activities.
The RGQ contains a series of 15 questions on the reasons people give for taking part in gambling. People who had gambled in the past 12 months were asked to state how often each proposed reason was the reason they had taken part in the activities they had listed, with the option of selecting ‘always, ‘often’, ‘sometimes’, or ‘never’.
Table 1 shows the reasons given for participating in gambling, showing both overall endorsement (the proportion who said that was the reason ‘always’, ‘often’, or ‘sometimes’) and strong endorsement (the proportion who said ‘always’). Figures are presented for people who had spent money on any gambling activity in the past 12 months and those who had done so in the past 4 weeks, with the distributions of both being very similar.
Table 1: Distribution of reasons for gambling questions for those who gambled in the past 12 months and past 4 weeks
| Reasons for gambling: I take part in these activities… | Gambled in past 12 months: responding 'sometimes', 'often' or 'always' (percentage) | Gambled in the past 4 weeks: responding 'sometimes', 'often' or 'always' (percentage) | Gambled in past 12 months: responding 'always' (percentage) | Gambled in the past 4 weeks: responding 'always' (percentage) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the chance of winning big money | 86% | 90% | 36% | 39% | Because it's fun | 70% | 72% | 14% | 15% | As a hobby or pastime | 27% | 30% | 4% | 4% | To escape boredom or to fill my time | 23% | 25% | 2% | 2% | Because I'm worried about not winning if I don't play | 20% | 23% | 3% | 3% | To compete with others (for example bookmaker, other gamblers) | 9% | 10% | 1% | 1% | Because it's exciting | 55% | 58% | 7% | 7% | For the mental challenge or to learn about the game or activity | 19% | 21% | 1% | 1% | Because of the sense of achievement when I win | 44% | 47% | 6% | 7% | To impress other people | 8% | 8% | 1% | 1% | To be sociable | 24% | 23% | 2% | 2% | Because it helps when I'm feeling tense | 11% | 13% | 1% | 1% | To make money | 58% | 63% | 20% | 22% | To relax | 22% | 24% | 2% | 2% | Because it's something that I do with my friends or family | 35% | 35% | 4% | 4% | Unweighted bases (number) | 5780 | 4562 | 5780 | 4562 |
Notes on table
Base: Productive individuals who had gambled in the past 12 months.
Unweighted bases (number): Only includes participants who provided a response to the reason for gambling statement.
Unweighted bases (number): Bases for "For the chance of winning big money" are shown. Other bases vary but are of a similar magnitude.
The most endorsed items were to win big money, for fun, and to make money. The least endorsed reasons were to impress others, to compete with others, and to help when feeling tense. This is broadly in line with the patterns seen in the BGPS 2010.
A breakdown of the reasons given by age and sex for those who had gambled in the past 12 months is given in Table C.3 in the GSGB Year 1 Annual Report.
Previous sectionReasons for gambling - Introduction Next section
Reasons for gambling - Themes of the Reasons for Gambling questionnaire
Last updated: 30 January 2025
Show updates to this content
No changes to show.