The UK Gambling Commission has published its first annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain report. This is as the gambling regulator looks to start a new baseline for understanding gambling behavior in Britain.
Under half of adults aged 18 and over have participated in any form of gambling in the past four weeks. According to the GSGB, this figure drops to just above a quarter. This occurs when excluding those who only participated in lottery draws.
Moreover, the report found that 41 per cent of adults who gambled in the past 12 months rated the last time they gambled positively, 21 per cent gave a negative score and 37 per cent gave a neutral score. Male participants were more likely to have higher Problem Gambling Severity Index scores, and those aged 18 to 34 too.
In reply to the publicaiton, Tim Miller, the Executive Director of Research and Policy of UKGC, has described the GSGB report as the next significant step forward in their journey on making a vigorous source of evidence for gambling in Great Britain.
The NatCen (National Centre for Social Research) and the University of Glasgow compiled the data for the first annual GSGB report. They collected it over two waves between July of last year and February of this year using a push-to-web approach.
The GSGB released wave one data last March. Meanwhile, they published wave two data in early July.
The report features responses from 9,804 people. However, by next year, this figure will increase to around 20,000.
The UKGC stated that the new GSGB approach aims to provide greater insight into attitudes and gambling behaviors. It presents a fuller picture by illuminating participation rates, the types of gambling activities, experiences, reasons for gambling, and the consequences of gambling on individuals and their close ones.
