Gambling Commission Publishes Third Annual GSGB Report on 2025 Participation and Harm Levels

The UK Gambling Commission released the third annual report from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain in July 2026, and the document draws on responses collected throughout 2025 from more than 20,000 adults across the country. Observers note that the survey continues to track participation patterns and harm indicators through a consistent methodology that allows year-on-year comparisons.

Participation Rates Remain Steady Across Multiple Measures

Figures in the report indicate that 47 percent of adults in Great Britain took part in some form of gambling during the four weeks prior to being surveyed, while the rate falls to 27 percent when lottery-only participation is excluded. Researchers highlight that these percentages have shown little movement across the three annual editions of the survey, suggesting a stable baseline rather than dramatic shifts in behavior. Data collected through both online panels and random probability sampling produced similar headline numbers, which strengthens confidence in the overall picture.

Problem Gambling Rates Show Minor Decline Yet Hold Steady Over Time

The prevalence of problem gambling, measured using the Problem Gambling Severity Index, stood at 2.4 percent in the 2025 data, down from 2.7 percent the previous year. Those responsible for the survey describe this change as remaining within the range of statistical stability observed across the full three-year period. Moderate-risk gambling rates followed a comparable pattern, and the report presents combined harm indicators that have not moved significantly despite ongoing regulatory changes in other areas of the sector.

Reported Motivations for Gambling Activity

Respondents gave multiple reasons for their gambling, with the chance of winning large sums of money cited by 84 percent of participants who gambled in the reference period. Additional factors included the excitement of the activity itself, social elements with friends or family, and the opportunity to pass time. The survey instrument allowed multiple selections, so the percentages reflect overlapping motivations rather than mutually exclusive categories.

Demographic Patterns and Subgroup Variations

Breakdowns by age, gender, and income reveal differences in participation and harm rates that remain consistent with earlier waves of the survey. Younger adults continued to show higher involvement in certain online products, whereas older groups reported greater engagement with lottery draws. The report notes that men recorded higher problem gambling scores than women on average, though the gap has not widened measurably over the three-year window. Income bands also correlate with activity levels, with higher earners more likely to participate in multiple gambling forms during the four-week window.

Survey Methodology and Data Collection Approach

The Gambling Survey for Great Britain combines two distinct sampling frames to balance reach and representativeness. One strand uses an online panel recruited through commercial providers, while the second draws addresses at random from the postcode address file and invites participation by post or online. Weighting adjusts for known population characteristics, and the report includes confidence intervals around key estimates to show the precision of the findings. Over 20,000 completed responses supplied the core dataset for the 2025 annual report.

Context Within Broader Regulatory Landscape

Release of the report occurs against a backdrop of continued implementation of the Gambling Act review recommendations and ongoing work by the Commission on consumer protection measures. The stable participation and harm figures provide a reference point for policymakers evaluating the impact of recent rule changes on advertising, affordability checks, and product design. The document itself stops short of attributing causality and instead presents the descriptive statistics for others to interpret.

Conclusion

The third annual GSGB report supplies updated benchmarks on gambling involvement and associated harms in Great Britain, with the 2025 data showing continuity rather than abrupt change. Participation percentages and problem gambling rates have remained within narrow bands across three measurement cycles, while motivations and demographic patterns continue to align with earlier findings. The Gambling Survey for Great Britain remains the primary official source for population-level estimates in this area, and future waves will allow further tracking of these indicators over time.