UK Commission Releases New Report on National Online Entertainment Trends

July 2024 saw the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) publish their first Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB). Now they have released their second survey and this time over 5,100 people took part.

The survey looks at UK gambling behaviour between 15 January and 28 April. With 5,191 participants, this was 8% higher than took part in the previous GSGB.

When it came to the total figure for gambling participation during this period, the figure was 48% among those questioned. However, when playing lottery games was excluded, the gambling participation level fell to 27%.

For online gambling, 16% of those who had played had done so in the previous four weeks via either their desktop or on a mobile UK casino app, according to Casino Gambler. The survey found that when it comes to online gambling, 20% of men preferred to play that way. Many players began to gamble online when the pandemic caused retail betting shops to be closed during lockdowns.

That’s compared to a figure of 13% for female players. Nearly three out of every ten male online players were in the 35 to 44 age group.

33% of women in the 35 to 44 age group had gambled in the previous four weeks. That figure does not include lottery games.

The figure for in-person gambling was 29%. That’s the same as seen in the previous survey. Again, there was a fall if those who simply bought lottery tickets were excluded with the new figure being 18%.

51% of men said that they had gambled in the previous four weeks. That was 6% higher than the figure recorded for female players. With lottery purchases being excluded, that saw new figures of 30% for men and 24% for females.

60% of men aged between 45 and 54 had gambled in the given period and figure includes playing lottery games.

Why do players gamble? The survey found that for 85% of players, the desire was to “win big money.”  However, 71% of those taking part replied that they gambled simply because they found doing so a fun activity. 53% said that it was the excitement of placing bets that was the reason they decided to gamble. 57% were of the opinion that they gambled because it was seen as a way to make money, that’s 2% lower than in the last survey.

Those participating in the survey were asked to give their feelings about gambling with a mark out of ten. 37% of those asked gave a figure of 5 and that included trying to get wins from lottery draws or scratchcards. When those games were excluded, the amount giving their gambling activity a rating of 5 fell to 32%. Only 5% of respondents gave their gambling experience of 10 out of 10, a minimal change from the previous survey.

Playing lottery games saw the highest figure with a 32% total. There are huge jackpots to be won in both Lotto and EuroMillions draws. That was followed by charity lottery draws at 16%. These have become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly the Postcode Lottery.

There was a fall of 1% to 9% for those that indulged in sports betting, whether it be in a bookmaker shop or online. The survey comes at a time when there are concerns over increases in the number of gambling-related advertisements at football matches.Casino games totalled 3% and slot games (both in-person and online) was at 4%.

The UKGC believes that this survey is now beginning to show how it can make an impact on the UK gambling industry. The use of the statistics that are being provided will hopefully help the study of gambling behaviour in the UK, particularly the age groups that are placing the most wagers.

Ben Haden is the UKGCs Director of Research and Statistics and says that they will continue to “work hard on refining the GSGB where we need to.” He added that many members in the research community, gambling sector and other areas have been exploring the data that has been compiled.

“The more research and work that is done using the regular data that the GSGB provides – at scale and high quality – the more we will see its value,” said Mr Haden.

There has been some concern from the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) that the findings of the GSGB “may be unreliable.” It uses a different methodology from the previous surveys that had been led by the National Health Service. In response to the criticism, the UKGC have stated that the findings can’t be compared to those seen in other previous surveys.