British Gambling Commission publishes first data from new survey method
The regulator has published the first datasets of the new Gambling Survey of Great Britain.
UK.- The Gambling Commission has announced the publication of the first data sets of its new Gambling Survey of Great Britain (GSGB). The project updates the way data is collected on both gambling participation and problem gambling prevalence.
The first wave of data was gathered between July and November 2023 and involved around 4,800 adult respondents. The data shows that 48 per cent gambled in the prior four weeks – 27 per cent when excluding those who only took part in lottery.
The online gambling participation rate was 38 per cent (16 per cent excluding lottery). The retail participation rate was 29 per cent (18 per cent excluding lottery).
The overall gambling participation rate for men aged 45 to 54 was the highest at 52 per cent. For non-lottery gambling, the highest rate was among the 18-44 age group (41 per cent). Online gambling participation was highest among men aged 25-34 (31 per cent).
Gambling Commission research director Ben Haden said: “The GSGB provides a consistent and frequent way of collecting data among adults in Great Britain and will provide regular data outputs to help us understand changes in gambling behaviour among the population and among subpopulation groups.”
The British regulator now intends to publish data from the GSGB every quarter, based on around 5,000 responses for each survey. It will also make an annual report. The data and technical information will be available via its Statistics and Research hub.
Last week, the GSGB won the endorsement of an independent review. Patrick Sturgis, leader of the review and a professor at the London School of Economics, said the new push-to-web methodology was “exemplary in all respects”.
The review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the new survey methodology compared to previous approaches.
British gambling revenue
Earlier this month, the Gambling Commission published data on online gambling participation and revenue for the third quarter. Based on data from the largest operators, covering 80 per cent of the online gambling market, it noted a rise in slots and real event betting.
Online Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) was estimated at £1.3bn, up 4 per cent year-on-year. Online slots GGY was £618m, up 6 per cent and the highest quarterly total on record since the Gambling Commission began collecting quarterly data amid the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. Real event betting was particularly strong in December, with GGY doubling year-on-year to £196m.
