The UK Gambling Commission has released the latest results of the Great Britain Gambling Survey (GSGB) conducted by NatCen, covering data collected from April to July 2024.
Based on interviews with 4,657 adults aged 18 and over, the study provides an in-depth look at gambling habits across the nation.
The overall gambling participation rate (defined as participating in any gambling activities in the past four weeks) remained stable at 48%—consistent with data from 2023 and earlier in 2024.
A significant portion of participants (20%) only engaged in lottery draws, such as the national lottery or charity lotteries. Excluding these individuals, the gambling participation rate is 28%.
The data also highlights differences in gambling habits among different demographic groups. Overall, men aged 45 to 64 have the highest gambling participation rates, but excluding those who only purchase lottery tickets, men aged 25 to 34 become the most active gambling demographic.
Online gambling remains prevalent, with 37% of respondents participating in the past four weeks. However, excluding those who only play online lotteries, this figure drops to 17%.
Worth noting: Respondents indicated that "the chance to win big money" and "for fun" are the main reasons for gambling.
Meanwhile, 29% of respondents reported participating in in-person gambling, but this percentage drops to 18% when excluding those who only buy lottery tickets.
Lotteries remain the most popular gambling activity, with 31% of people participating in the national lottery draws and 16% in other charity lotteries. Other popular activities include scratch cards (12%), betting (12%), and online instant-win games (7%).
Additionally, the survey found that the betting participation rate has increased by more than 3 percentage points compared to the previous survey.
