Statistics and research release
Levels of problem gambling in Scotland
Levels of problem gambling in Scotland.
Summary
Also published recently
We include a series of questions on gambling in the Scottish Health Survey (opens in new tab) which is published by the Scottish Government.
Gambling behaviour is increasingly a subject of public health and policy interest. This survey provides a detailed picture of the health of the Scottish population in private households and is designed to make a major contribution to the monitoring of health in Scotland.
Around 4,500 adults are interviewed for the survey.
Key facts
Headline findings of Scottish Health Survey 2021
- 58 percent of respondents in Scotland have spent money on at least one gambling activity in the past 12 months (63 percent in 2017).
- 43 percent of respondents in Scotland (excluding those who had only played National Lottery draws) have spent money on at least one gambling activity in the past 12 months (45 percent in 2017).
- 14 percent of respondents in Scotland (excluding those who had only played National Lottery draws) had gambled online in the past 12 months (12 percent in 2017).
All respondents
- 0.4 percent of respondents in Scotland identified as problem gamblers according to the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) screen.
- 1.5 percent of respondents in Scotland are at moderate risk of developing problems with their gambling according to the PGSI screen.
- 4.5 percent of respondents in Scotland are at low risk of developing problems with their gambling according to the PGSI screen.
Details
Read the combined report for 2016 (opens in new tab) (PDF) containing results from the Health Survey for England, the Scottish Health Survey and the Welsh Problem Gambling Survey.
Data and downloads
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