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Statistics and research release

Statistics on participation and problem gambling for the year to Sept 2022

Findings from the quarterly telephone survey: Statistics on participation and problem gambling for the year to September 2022.

Summary

The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) now gathers the latest data on gambling behaviours.

This statistical release covers the quarterly gambling participation and problem gambling prevalence data for the year to September 2022.

The data being released today is based on the Gambling Commission’s quarterly telephone survey conducted by Yonder Consulting. A nationally representative sample of 4,018 adults aged 16 and over were interviewed via telephone in December 2021, March 2022, June 2022, and September 2022. Further details on the quarterly telephone survey methodology can be found on the front cover of the main publication.

Key facts

  • In year to September 2022, overall participation in any gambling activity (in the last four weeks) remained statistically stable at 44% (compared to year to September 2021).
  • In year to September 2022, the in-person gambling participation rate significantly increased to 27%, although this figure still remains below the pre-pandemic level (compared to year to September 2021).
  • The online gambling participation rate has significantly increased to 27%, continuing its long-term trend (compared to year to September 2021).
  • The overall headline problem gambling rate as measured by the short form PGSI is statistically stable at 0.3%. The moderate risk and low risk rates are also statistically stable at 1.1% and 1.8%, respectively (compared to year to September 2021).

Details

Reflections on the data

Following two years of disruption and restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, overall gambling participation remains lower than pre-covid levels.

Latest data for 2022 indicates that people are starting to return to in-person activities including bingo, horse races and dog racing, however, current in-person participation rates remain below pre-pandemic levels. There have been differences observed by age group in terms of those returning to in-person activities, with the in-person participation rate for 16 to 24 year olds closest to their pre-pandemic rate.

The proportion of people gambling online has significantly increased in this latest data release compared to the previous year, with the long-term trend continuing to show steady growth, like many other sectors. Growth has been seen particularly for National Lottery Draws and Online Slots and/or Instant Win games.

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.

About the status of official statistics.

We intend to publish the next quarterly participation and prevalence statistics in February 2023.

Data and downloads

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