A recent overhaul in the method of data collection by the Gambling Commission has revealed startling statistics about problem gambling in the UK. Initiated in 2020, the review of data gathering techniques marked the progression of the Commission’s ambitious project, the Gambling Survey for Great Britain. Collaborating with its partners, the Commission refined its participant recruitment and question formulation, ultimately adopting a ‘push to web’ survey methodology over the traditional telephone surveys for data collection.
The latest figures, sourced from a pool of 4,000 individuals surveyed in April and May, indicate that gambling is a prevalent activity with over half of the respondents reporting gambling involvement in the preceding month. Alarmingly, 2.5% of participants produced a high score of 8 or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) screen, with an additional 3.5% registering scores that range between moderate-risk levels of 3 and 7.
Analysis of the gambling activities over the past four weeks revealed that the most engaged forms were the National Lottery at 32%, followed by charity lotteries and National Lottery scratchcards at 15% and 13% respectively. Despite these findings, the Commission has cautioned against drawing direct comparisons to historical data on account of the shift in research methodology. The new figures are categorized as ‘experimental’ and are not intended to serve as replacements for the official statistics available.
The Commission, over the past three years, has continuously sought to improve the reliability and comprehensiveness of its data through extensive consultations, surveys, and workshop sessions. In line with its mission, earlier in the year, the regulatory body published an evidence gaps and priorities paper which outlines the focus areas for evidence-based regulation for the period from 2023 to 2026.
Helen Bryce, the head of statistics at the Gambling Commission, commented on the transition to the final step of the experimental phase asserting the project’s significance in fortifying the evidence base that informs regulatory approaches. The collaboration with consultation experts NatCen enabled the redesigning of questionnaires to capture relevant data on consumer gambling practices more accurately.
In the anticipation of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, the Commission is preparing to undertake an annual survey that will collect data from 20,000 people, positioning it to be one of the world’s most extensive gambling studies. Bryce acknowledges the survey’s potential in deepening regulatory knowledge through comparisons with operator data and other datasets.
The last of the quarterly statistics from the Gambling Commission earlier this year pointed to a ‘statistically stable’ landscape across gambling participation and problem gambling. The headline problem gambling rate, measured by the PGSI, held its ground at 0.3%, showing a negligible increase from the previous 0.2%. Given the narrow margin, little statistical significance underlines this shift. Moreover, at a steady rate of 27%, in-person gambling participation remained unchanged from March 2022, though this still lags behind the pre-pandemic participation rate of 35%.
In summary, the recent advancements in data capture methodologies and the Gambling Commission’s commitment to evidence-based regulation bring the intricate patterns and potential risks of gambling in the UK into sharper focus. The implications of these findings are profound, serving both as a mirror to the prevailing culture of gambling and a guide for implementing protective measures.
