Statistics and research release
Statistics on gambling participation – Wave 2, April to July 2025: Official statistics
Findings from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain: Statistics on gambling participation
Summary
Also published recently
The data being released today is the latest edition of the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) conducted by the National Centre for Social Research. A nationally representative sample of 4,750 adults aged 18 and over were surveyed during the period 7 April 2025 to 20 July 2025.
Further details on the GSGB methodology can be found in the GSGB Wave 2, April to July 2025 report and the GSGB technical report.
The GSGB, like most other surveys, collects information from a sample of the population. Statistics based on surveys are estimates, rather than precise figures, and are subject to a margin of error (a 95 percent confidence interval). All surveys have strengths and limitations and we have outlined the strengths and limitations of our approach in the data analysis and reporting section of the technical report .
We have also guidance available on how to use the statistics from the GSGB.
Key facts
Overall participation in any gambling activity (in the past 4 weeks) was 47 percent. This figure is consistent with participation levels we saw for the same period in 2024.
Approximately one fifth of adults in Great Britain (19 percent) only took part in lottery draws (either National Lottery or other charity lottery draws) in the past 4 weeks. This means when we exclude those who only took part in a lottery draw in the past 4 weeks from the overall gambling participation rate, gambling participation falls to 28 percent.
Overall gambling participation is highest among those aged 55 to 64 (54 percent). When broken down by sex, both males and females in this age group show the highest participation rates. 56 percent of males and 52 percent of females aged 55 to 64 reported gambling in the past 4 weeks.
However, when those who only participated on a lottery draw are excluded, the age profile shifts downward, showing that those aged 25 to 44 have the highest gambling participation rates in the past 4 weeks (36 percent). This pattern also varies by sex with the player profile being younger amongst males than females. Among males, participation excluding lottery draw only players is highest for those aged 25 to 34 (43 percent), while among females, it peaks for those aged 35 to 44 (33 percent).
Overall, the most popular gambling activities after lottery draws are betting (12 percent), scratchcards (12 percent), and online instant win games (8 percent). Betting participation in the past 4 weeks has significantly increased compared to the previous wave, making it the most popular activity after lottery draws, alongside scratchcards. Although betting rose by 3 percentage points compared to Wave 1, 2025, participation remains consistent with Wave 2, 2024, where fieldwork covers popular betting events take place.
Ongoing development of the GSGB survey led to separating dog racing and horse racing as distinct betting types from 2025. Participation in horse race betting in the past 4 weeks was 7 percent, compared to 4 percent in Wave 1, 2025 (January to April), showing a significant increase of 3 percentage points. This change begins to reveal seasonal trends for horse race betting as data from this release, which covers April to July 2025, coincides with several major horse racing events during the fieldwork period.
The online gambling participation rate (in the past 4 weeks) was 38 percent, which falls to 17 percent when lottery draw only players are removed. This is consistent with figures we saw for the same time last year.
The most popular online gambling activities in the past 4 weeks were buying tickets for a National Lottery draw online (25 percent), buying tickets for other charity lottery draws online (15 percent) and betting on sports and racing online or via an app (10 percent). Participation in these online activities remained stable compared to Wave 2, 2024.
The in person gambling participation rate (in the past 4 weeks) was 28 percent, which falls to 18 percent when lottery draw only players are removed.
The most popular in person gambling activities in the past 4 weeks were buying tickets for a National Lottery draw (15 percent), buying a scratchcard (12 percent) and buying tickets for another charity lottery draw in-person (6 percent). Following lottery draws and scratchcards, the next most popular in person activity in the past 4 weeks was betting on sports and racing in person (4 percent) and playing bingo at a venue (3 percent).
Gambling ‘for the chance to win big money' and ‘because it’s fun’ remain the most popular reasons people gave for gambling in the past 12 months. Adults aged 18 to 24 were the only age group where ‘because it’s fun’ was the most common reason, rather than monetary motives.
Details
The statistics presented in this report comprise our official statistics on gambling participation. The data presented from the GSGB is not directly comparable to previous gambling survey publications due to changes in the methodology.
The next quarterly publication in this series (Wave 3, July to October 2025) will be released on 26 February 2026.
Notes
This publication is primarily for anyone who has an involvement or interest in the gambling industry including government, licensed operators, trade bodies, international regulators, journalists, academic researchers, financial institutions, statisticians, consumers and local authorities.
For guidance on how to correctly report and or use the data from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), see the guidance page.
About the status of official statistics.
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We are always keen to hear how these statistics are used and would welcome your views on this publication.