YouGov: Up to 1.4 million potential problem gamblers in the UK
Survey brings into question UKGC’s 0.3% problem gambling rate as an additional 1.5 million deemed at-risk
There may be as many as 1.4 million problem gamblers in the UK according to a YouGov report released just weeks before the landmark white paper on the Gambling Act 2005 review.
The survey, commissioned by GambleAware and conducted by YouGov last year, found 2.8% of respondents were classified as problem gamblers after scoring a PGSI score of eight or more.
The latest research brings into question the much-lauded problem gambling rate in the UK of 0.3% as determined by the UK Gambling Commission.
This figure, down from 0.6% 18 months ago, would correspond to around 170,000 problem gamblers in the country compared to YouGov’s suggested 1.4 million.
An additional 1.5 million Britons are at risk of gambling-related harm according to the survey, with 2.9% recording a PGSI of between three and seven.
Breaking down problem gambling rates by genders see men with a problem gambling severity index (PGSI) score of more than eight is 3.7% while the proportion of women deemed problem gamblers sits at 2%.
Both of these figures represent increases on 2020, when 3.3% of men and 1.5% of women were classed as problem gamblers.
In terms of age groups, 18 to 24-year-olds are the demographic with the highest proportion of problem gamblers with 7.1%.
Additionally, 6% of respondents classed themselves as an affected other of problem gambling, equating to 3.3 million people.
The National Lottery remains the most popular form of gambling in the UK, with 44.2% of respondents having taken part in 2021.
Fast growing verticals include online casino and slot titles, both of which Gambling Minister Chris Philp said were “significantly more risky” than other forms of gambling this week.
A spokesperson for the BGC said: “We do not recognise these figures which are not supported by the Gambling Commission’s most recent research which showed rates of problem gambling have been falling, according to the regulator at 0.3% – down from 0.6% 18 months ago.
“That’s equivalent to a drop of 340,000 problem gamblers down to 170,000 – not 1.4 million suggested by GambleAware,” they added.
There were differences between the YouGov survey and the UKGC’s, with YouGov undertaking the research using the full nine-question PGSI screening online whereas the UKGC used a shorter three-question screening over the telephone.
The differences in the number of questions also altered the threshold for being classified as a problem gambler in each survey.