2024 Gambling Survey for Great Britain published

Summary

The Gambling Commission has published the second annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), a large-scale study run by NatCen and the University of Glasgow that examines gambling participation, behaviours and consequences. The 2024 report is based on a sample of 19,714 respondents and has been independently reviewed to strengthen confidence in its estimates.

Key findings include headline participation rates, motivations for gambling, and stability in problem gambling indicators. The Commission also released two supplementary reports: one on risk profiles of weekly gamblers and another on adverse consequences of gambling. The publication complements earlier research and informs regulatory actions and player-protection measures the Commission is implementing.

Key Points

48% of adults (18+) in Great Britain gambled in the last four weeks; this falls to 28% when excluding those who only bought lottery tickets.
42% of adults who gambled in the past year rated their last gambling experience positively, while 21% rated it negatively.
The main reasons for gambling were the chance of winning large sums (85%) and because it is fun (72%).
2.7% of adults scored 8+ on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) in 2024 — statistically stable compared with 2023.
Sample size was 19,714, enabling two supplementary reports on weekly gamblers’ risk profiles and on the adverse consequences of gambling.
Findings show risk varies between and within product categories, urging operators to consider customer-level risk differences.
The Commission links these data to policy changes: new deposit-limit controls, reduced game intensity, tighter age checks and restrictions on certain promotions.

Context and relevance

This report is a major data release in UK gambling research — the GSGB is one of the largest dedicated studies of its kind. It provides robust, population-level estimates that support regulatory decision-making, operator risk management and academic work on harms. The supplementary deep dives (on weekly gamblers and negative consequences) help paint a fuller picture of where harm and risk are concentrated, and they tie into ongoing reforms following the Gambling Act Review White Paper.

Why should I read this?

Want the big numbers and what they mean without trawling a long report? This gives you the headlines: who is gambling, why they do it, how many show signs of serious problems, and where regulators are focusing. If you work in regulation, compliance, operator harm-minimisation or research, this saves you time and tells you the parts to dig into.