Report
Measuring gambling-related harm: Validating a summary metric of potential adverse consequences
Examining whether reporting one or more potential adverse consequences from gambling provides a valid population-level indicator of gambling-related harm.
Conclusion
This report contributes to Theme 3 of our evidence priority roadmaps, which focuses on understanding gambling-related harms and identifying who is most at risk (Gambling Commission, 2025a). Our findings show that people who report one or more potential adverse consequences from gambling have poorer mental wellbeing and self-rated health, and a higher likelihood of suicidal ideation compared with those who do not report adverse consequences. These associations remained significant after controlling for demographic characteristics, indicating that this metric captures meaningful differences in health and wellbeing.
Taken together, these findings support the use of one or more potential adverse consequences as a population-level indicator of gambling-related harm. We therefore plan to report this metric in future Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) publications, enabling us to monitor trends in adverse consequences over time. This analysis also provides insight into who is most likely to experience adverse consequences from gambling, which will help inform efforts to protect those most vulnerable to harm. Going forward, we will continue to develop a wider range of indicators that, taken together, will provide a more rounded understanding of gambling-related harm across the population.
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Last updated: 16 July 2026
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