Review backs Gambling Survey of Great Britain but recommends improvements
Gambling operators had raised concerns about the new survey’s methodology.
UK.- The Office for Statistics Regulation, part of the UK Statistics Authority, has announced the results of a review of the Gambling Commission’s new Gambling Survey of Great Britain (GSGB) amid criticism of the new methodology. It has made nine recommendations to improve the study but said it saw no reason for the Gambling Commission not to publish data from the survey.
It recommended that the Gambling Commission provide more detailed information on quality assurance and validation processes and that it clearly communicate potential biases that could affect estimates provided. It also proposed the creation of a user engagement strategy, which would set out how users can take part in the development of the survey, and it suggested the regulator collaborate more with other producers of official statistics.
“While there are still some areas that require further exploration and improvement, we have not seen evidence to suggest that the statistics are not fit for publication,” it concluded. “Currently, the GSGB provides the most regular estimates of gambling when compared to other surveys of this nature undertaken by official statistics producers.”
Director general for the Office for Statistics Regulation Ed Humpherson said: “I understand that the Gambling Commission has already started to take action to address some of our findings and recommendations. I welcome this proactive approach and encourage the commission to publicly set out the progress it has made.”
The Gambling Commission has welcomed the conclusions, noting that some of the proposals had already been actioned.
Ben Haden, director of research and statistics, said: “We welcome the findings from OSR, both the public statement regarding casework they have received in relation to GSGB and their overall review of the GSGB. We are pleased they recognise the huge amount of work that the team has put into developing and delivering the largest survey of its kind in the world. We also welcome OSR’s recommendations for further action, which closely align with work that we already have underway.”
The regulator has been gradually publishing findings from the initial waves of the new survey. So far, it has highlighted data suggesting that players are skeptical about operator’s responsible gambling measures and also that money is not the main reason for gambling.
