UKGC Problem gambling stats indicate minimal change

The regulator has decided to discontinue the quarterly telephone survey, which will be replaced by a new “Gambling Survey for Great Britain“ that is scheduled to be released in November this year. The survey is conducted by Yonder Consulting and comprises a nationally representative sample of 4002 adults aged 16 or above who were interviewed via telephone in March 2023.

The data obtained from the survey conducted by Yonder in March 2023 showed insignificant variations from the figures reported in the same period the previous year.

There has been no significant statistical change in problem gambling rates in Marc

The percentage of problem gambling, as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) short form, remained statistically unchanged at 0.3% based on the latest report, despite being 0.1% higher than the previous period’s 0.2%. However, due to the small sample size, there is little statistical variance between the numbers.

The moderate and low-risk rates remained stable at 1.2% and 1.8%, respectively, when compared to March 2022. However, in absolute terms, these numbers were higher than the prior year’s rates, which were 0.9% and 1.4%, respectively.

The in-person gambling participation rate remained consistent at 27%, the same as in March 2022. Nevertheless, this percentage is considerably lower than the pre-pandemic figure of 35%.

Similarly, the online gambling participation rate showed little change from the previous year, with 26% of UK adults engaging in this activity, the same percentage reported in March 2022.

The telephone survey conducted by the Gambling Commission reveals significant trends over time

A new methodology developed by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is set to replace the telephone survey. Despite concerns that the new survey may oversample problem gamblers, the Commission approved the project following a successful pilot in May 2022.

Yonder, which has been responsible for conducting the data collection effort since 2016, released a report analyzing the survey’s key trends over its lifetime. While there have been some variations in participation over the period, Yonder noted that overall gambling participation rates did not show a “dramatic or sustained” increase, with rates being “significantly higher” in 2016 than in 2022 and 2023.

The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on in-person gambling activity, with rates yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, especially for lottery participation.

Over a period of seven years, there has been a consistent increase in participation in online gambling

National Lottery ticket purchases have shifted from in-person to online, with online methods now being the most popular. However, individuals aged 65 and over still prefer in-person ticket purchases.

Online gaming participation has grown steadily over seven years, with older age groups experiencing the largest increases. While men are more likely to bet online than women, both groups have seen an increase in participation.

One concerning trend is that the proportion of individuals who believe that gambling is conducted fairly and can be trusted peaked at the beginning of the period and has since declined. Trust reached significant lows from Q3 2019 to Q3 2020 before stabilizing in the subsequent period.

On a positive note, the proportion of individuals classified as moderate and low risk has significantly decreased since the end of 2020. The proportion of problem gamblers peaked in Q3 2016 and has remained stable since then.