Gambling Commission Publishes Third Annual GSGB Report Detailing Stable Participation Patterns

The Gambling Commission released the third annual report from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain on 16 July 2026, and this document compiles official statistics covering gambling participation alongside behaviours, attitudes, and consequences throughout 2023 to 2025. Survey teams collected responses from roughly 20,000 adults each year, which created a substantial dataset that tracks trends across the three-year period without major shifts in overall engagement.

Survey Methodology and Scope

Researchers designed the Gambling Survey for Great Britain to capture consistent annual snapshots, and they gathered self-reported data through structured questionnaires that addressed frequency of play, motivations, and any negative outcomes. The approach maintained the same sample size targets across 2023, 2024, and 2025, which allowed direct comparisons year over year while covering adults throughout England, Scotland, and Wales. Officials at the Gambling Commission noted that the methodology follows established protocols for producing national statistics, and the resulting figures carry the designation of official statistics.

Participation Rates Remain Steady

Headline participation held at 47 percent of adults who reported gambling in the past four weeks during 2025, and this level matched the figures recorded in the preceding two years. Such stability suggests that broad engagement with gambling activities did not fluctuate significantly despite changes in other sectors of the economy or shifts in public events. The survey breaks down participation by activity type in later sections, yet the top-line number provides a clear benchmark for tracking future movements.

Motivations Behind Gambling Activities

Participants who gambled cited several primary reasons for their involvement, and the chance to win big money emerged as the most common factor at 84 percent. Fun followed at 69 percent while making money registered at 57 percent, and excitement came in at 53 percent. These percentages reflect responses from those who had gambled recently, and multiple motivations could apply to a single individual since the survey allowed selection of more than one option. Observers note that the ranking of these drivers remained consistent across the three survey waves, which points to enduring appeal factors rather than temporary influences.

Problem Gambling Indicators Show No Change

Problem gambling rates measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index at a score of 8 or higher stayed fixed at 2.4 percent across the reporting period. This category captures individuals experiencing the most severe difficulties, and the unchanged figure indicates that the prevalence of such issues held steady even as overall participation levels remained constant. The survey also collected data on lower severity categories, yet the report highlights the PGSI 8+ threshold as a key national indicator for monitoring harm. Analysts at the Commission used the same instrument each year to ensure comparability, and the results feed directly into regulatory planning processes.

Broader Context Within National Statistics

The GSGB functions as the primary source for population-level gambling data in Great Britain, and government departments alongside local authorities reference these numbers when shaping policy. Because the survey runs annually with large samples, it supplies trend information that smaller studies cannot match in reliability. The 2025 edition marks the third release in the series, which builds on earlier waves to create a growing longitudinal record. Figures from the report appear in various official publications, and stakeholders access the full dataset through the Gambling Commission website for further analysis.

Attitudes and Consequences Captured

Beyond participation counts and motivations, the survey records public attitudes toward gambling along with reported consequences such as financial strain or relationship impacts. Respondents answered questions about perceived risks and personal experiences, and the aggregated results show how views have evolved or remained fixed since 2023. The inclusion of consequence measures allows the report to connect participation data with potential harm indicators, which provides a more rounded picture than participation statistics alone. Those reviewing the findings can examine correlations between specific activities and reported outcomes across the three-year span.

Conclusion

The third annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain report delivers a clear update on stable participation at 47 percent, consistent motivational drivers, and unchanged problem gambling prevalence at 2.4 percent through 2025. Data collected from approximately 20,000 adults each year underpins these official statistics, and the release on 16 July 2026 marks another step in the ongoing monitoring effort by the Gambling Commission. Readers seeking the complete dataset can consult the Gambling Survey for Great Britain: 2025 annual report directly for detailed tables and methodology notes.