Problem Gambling Rate in Great Britain Falls to 2.4%, Survey Finds

The problem gambling rate in Great Britain dropped slightly to 2.4% for 2025, and there was also a decrease in the percentage of players ranking on the problem gambling severity index (PGSI), according to the latest Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB).

The 2025 GSGB, published by regulator the Gambling Commission, has been published earlier in the year than the 2024 survey, which was published last October, and has once again been put together by the National Centre for Social Research in collaboration with the University of Glasgow. Data was collected from 20,775 adults living in Great Britain, up from 19,714 respondents in the previous survey.

Breaking down the PGSI

In the 2024 GSGB, the problem gambling rate was 2.7%, meaning the rate has dropped by 0.3 percentage points. The rate is defined by those who scored eight or higher on the PGSI, which represents problem gambling by which a person will have experienced adverse consequences from gambling and may have lost control of their behaviour.

The PGSI scores players based on their gambling activity, grouping them into four separate categories; 0 (a gambler who shows no symptoms of problem gambling), 1-2 (unlikely to have experienced adverse consequences), 3-7 (representing moderate risk), and 8+.

In the 2025 GSGB, a smaller percentage of players had a PGSI score of 1-2 than the year before, as this went down from 8.8% to 7.8%. What could be of concern though is the percentage of players scoring 3-7, with the total going up from 3.1% to 3.5%. Overall, 13.7% of players scored higher than zero on the PGSI in 2025, down from 14.6%.

Gambling participation

Close to half of participants (47%) had participated in any form of gambling in the four weeks prior to being surveyed, and this pretty much flatlined with the 48% figure in the 2024 survey. Gambling participation was 27% when excluding players who had only played lottery games, but again, this was only down one percentage point from the previous year (28%).

When asked how they would view their experiences with gambling, 42% of respondents who had gambled in the previous 12 months rated the last time they gambled with a positive score of between 6 and 10, while 36% gave a score of 5, suggesting they neither loved nor hated it. A total of 22% of gamblers gave a negative score of between 0 and 4.

The most common reason for people to participate in gambling was for the chance of winning big money (84%), followed by the enjoyment of gambling at 69%, the motivation to make money from gambling at 57% and betting for excitement at 53%.

Problem gambling reduction plans

Responsible gambling initiatives from the Commission in an attempt to tackle problem gambling rates have been a common theme recently. Last week, the Commission announced plans to implement financial risk assessments (FRA), with the introduction to be made in stages.

The first stage of implementation will be carried out by the largest operators, where a high spend of multiple thousands of pounds across a 24-hour period is identified.

For most players, this will mean a £5,000 net deposit in a rolling 24-hour period, which the Commission calls a “very unusually high spend pattern” that less than 0.5% of players exceed.

The timetable for stage one of the rollout of FRAs will be confirmed after the Commission has engaged with the industry and other stakeholders via implementation groups.