The UK Gambling Commission recently conducted a survey, interviewing a representative sample of 5,191 adults aged 18 and over from January 2024 to April 2024, with detailed results outlined in this report.
The overall participation rate in gambling activities (over the past 4 weeks) was 48%, the same as the annual rate for 2023.
More than one-fifth of respondents (21%) participated only in lottery draws (national or other charity lotteries) in the past 4 weeks. Excluding those who only participated in lottery draws, the gambling participation rate was 27%.
Overall, males aged 45 to 54 had the highest gambling participation rate. However, excluding those who only played the lottery, the age distribution shifts downward, making males aged 35 to 44 the highest gambling participants.
The participation rate in online gambling over the past four weeks was 38%. Excluding those who only participated in lottery draws, it drops to 16%. This highlights a significant proportion of online players who only participate in lottery draws.
In the past four weeks, the participation rate in live gambling was 29%. Excluding those who only participated in lottery draws, the rate was 18%.
The most popular gambling activities (over the past 4 weeks) were lotteries, including national lottery draws (32%) and other charity lottery draws (16%). Following lotteries, the next most popular activities were scratch cards (14%), betting (9%), and online instant win games (8%). This is consistent with the data for the entire year of 2023.
The most common reasons for gambling among respondents were "for the chance to win big money" and "for fun".
The statistical data provided in this report are our official statistics on gambling participation. Due to changes in methodology, the data provided by GSGB are not comparable with previous gambling survey publications.
