Cookies on the Gambling Commission website

The Gambling Commission website uses cookies to make the site work better for you. Some of these cookies are essential to how the site functions and others are optional. Optional cookies help us remember your settings, measure your use of the site and personalise how we communicate with you. Any data collected is anonymised and we do not set optional cookies unless you consent.

Set cookie preferences

You've accepted all cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Skip to main content

Statistics and research release

Understanding the adverse consequences of gambling: the role of gambling activity

The Gambling Commission's report on gambling activity and demographic differences in risk of adverse consequences.

Summary

This report explores whether the increased susceptibility to adverse consequences among males, younger adults, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and those living in lower-income households, can be explained by differences in the types of gambling activities that they play. We conducted secondary analysis of Year 2 GSGB data (2024), focusing on participants who had gambled in the past four weeks. 

Details

Key Findings

Adverse consequences from gambling were most prevalent among males, younger adults, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and those living in lower-income households.

Past four-week participation in casino games, fruit and slots, and online instant-win games, helped explain why these groups are more likely to experience adverse consequences from gambling.

Differences in past four-week gambling activity fully explained the increased risk observed among men.

However, past four-week gambling activity only partly explained the increased risk among younger adults, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and those living in lower-income households. This suggests that the heightened vulnerability of these groups extends beyond the type of gambling they play, and may reflect wider social circumstances and financial pressures.

The full report is available.

Notes

This analysis extends findings from our previous report, Understanding the adverse consequences of gambling.

Publication author: Ruddock, H (Gambling Commission)

Data and downloads

There are no files for this release.

Feedback

We are always keen to hear how these statistics are used and would welcome your views on this publication.

Give us feedback about these statistics.

Is this page useful?
Back to top