Fewer Adults in Britain Report Gambling as Overall Participation Falls

Gambling participation in Great Britain dipped slightly in the latest figures released by the Gambling Commission. New data from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), run by NatCen, shows a modest decline over the most recent four-month period.

Good to know

• Gambling participation dropped from 49% to 46% compared to the previous study period.
• The GSGB report has faced criticism, but regulators still consider it suitable for publication.
• Lottery remains the most popular activity, although participation in it declined.

The percentage of adults in Great Britain who said they gambled in the last four weeks fell to 46%, down from 49% in the previous NatCen study. The research, which surveyed 5,191 adults from September 2024 to January 2025, highlights a small but steady shift in national gambling habits.

When excluding those who only play National Lottery or charity draws, the gambling participation rate drops further to 28%—holding steady with earlier numbers.

The Gambling Commission published the GSGB data while the Office for Statistics Regulation also reviewed the study due to concerns about its accuracy. The review concluded that the data is fit to be released but made nine suggestions for improvement. These included refining quality assurance, addressing potential bias, and creating better user engagement with the study’s development.

“We have not seen evidence to suggest that the statistics are not fit for publication,” the Office for Statistics Regulation noted. Director General Ed Humpherson added that the Commission is already acting on the recommendations.

Lottery Still Leads, Online Gambling Sees Small Increase

Lottery games still draw the most participation, but numbers dipped from 37% in October to 34% in the latest period. Scratchcards and betting followed at 12% and 10%, respectively. Online instant win games registered at 7%.

Online gambling overall held at 37%, but when excluding lottery-only players, it inched up to 17%—a one-point rise from the last period. Meanwhile, the Gambling Commission reported a 7% year-on-year increase in online gross gambling yield (GGY) for Q1 2025. Slots were the main driver, bringing in £1.45 billion ($1.93 billion), a rise from the previous year but slightly down from the last quarter.

The quarter also saw 23.4 billion spins and a record high of 4.5 million average active slot accounts.

One demographic point to note: respondents aged 18 to 24 made up just 6% of the study sample, despite representing about 11% of the adult population. Older groups, especially those aged 65 to 74, were overrepresented.