UK Gambling Commission Publishes 2025 GSGB Figures on Participation and Harms

The UK Gambling Commission has issued its latest official statistics drawn from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, and the dataset captures 2025 participation rates alongside behavioural patterns, public attitudes, problem gambling experiences and wider social impacts. This annual report arrives together with a supplementary trends analysis that tracks movement across 2023 through 2025, giving observers a three-year window into how gambling activity has evolved across England, Scotland and Wales. Data collection for the Gambling Survey for Great Britain relies on a large-scale, nationally representative sample that records both online and land-based activity. Commission statisticians compile responses that cover frequency of play, preferred products, spending levels and self-reported harms, then cross-reference those answers against validated screening tools for problem gambling. The resulting tables therefore supply regulators, treatment providers and policy teams with a consistent evidence base rather than scattered industry snapshots.

Scope of the 2025 Release

The 2025 edition expands earlier questionnaires by adding more granular questions on digital payment methods and live-streamed betting events. Respondents also answer modules that explore attitudes toward advertising, perceptions of fairness in games and willingness to use support services when difficulties arise. Because the same core questions have remained in place since 2023, analysts can now isolate genuine shifts in behaviour from changes in survey wording.

The accompanying trends report compares year-on-year figures for overall participation, the proportion of people gambling at least once a month and the prevalence of moderate-risk or problem gambling scores. It further breaks results down by age band, gender, region and employment status, allowing researchers to identify groups whose patterns have changed most noticeably between 2023 and 2025.

Key Areas Covered in the Statistics

Participation statistics detail the percentage of adults who have taken part in any gambling activity during the past four weeks, split by product type such as lotteries, sports betting, casino games and gaming machines. Behavioural indicators include average session length, typical stake size and the share of players who set deposit limits or take breaks. Attitude measures record levels of agreement with statements about gambling as harmless entertainment versus a potential source of harm, while problem-gambling sections present rates derived from the Problem Gambling Severity Index and similar instruments.

Impact data capture self-reported effects on finances, relationships, work performance and mental health. The survey also asks whether respondents have sought help from friends, family, online forums or professional treatment services. These variables sit alongside demographic descriptors so that patterns of harm can be examined within specific population segments.

Release Context in Mid-2026

Publication occurred during July 2026, placing the new statistics in the middle of the regulatory cycle that began after the 2025 Gambling Act review. Commission staff have already begun feeding the numbers into ongoing compliance assessments and into the design of pilot interventions scheduled for later in the year. Because the trends report covers a full three-year span, it supplies a baseline against which future annual releases can be measured.

Those who analyse the dataset note that the survey now includes boosted samples in Scotland and Wales, improving the reliability of devolved-nation estimates. Weighting procedures align the final sample with the latest census and labour-force data, reducing the risk that demographic imbalances distort headline participation or harm figures.

How the Data Will Be Used

Public-health bodies will draw on the harm and help-seeking modules when allocating funding for treatment services. Local authorities responsible for licensing decisions can reference regional participation rates when assessing cumulative impact statements from operators. Academic teams have already requested access to the anonymised micro-data for secondary studies on topics such as the interaction between online and offline play or the effectiveness of limit-setting tools.

The Commission itself will incorporate the findings into its annual enforcement priorities and into the evidence base that informs future consultations on advertising standards and player-protection requirements. Because the survey operates on a continuous fieldwork model, the next quarterly update is already in the field and will feed into the 2026 annual report due twelve months from now.

Conclusion

The 2025 GSGB release and its 2023–2025 trends companion therefore represent a consolidated, publicly available resource that documents gambling participation, behaviours, attitudes and harms across Great Britain. Stakeholders ranging from regulators to treatment providers now have updated benchmarks that track change over three consecutive years, and the dataset will continue to shape policy discussions and service planning throughout the remainder of 2026 and beyond. The full reports remain available on the Gambling Commission website for anyone who needs to examine the underlying tables and methodology.