UK Gambling Commission Releases Third Annual GSGB Report on 2025 Participation Data

The UK Gambling Commission has published its third annual report drawn from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, which compiles responses from more than 20,000 adults collected throughout 2025. This release marks the first occasion where three consecutive years of comparable trend data exist under the current methodology, allowing observers to track participation and harm indicators with greater consistency than before. The figures cover multiple timeframes, including past-year and past-week engagement, while distinguishing between lottery-inclusive and lottery-exclusive measures.

Survey Scope and Methodology

Data collection for the 2025 wave followed the established GSGB framework, which samples a broad cross-section of adults across England, Scotland, and Wales. Participation rates appear at 47 to 59 percent depending on the exact reference period and whether lotteries receive inclusion in the count. These ranges have remained within similar bounds across the three available years, indicating that overall engagement has held steady despite changes in product availability and regulatory adjustments. The report presents the statistics without attributing causation to any single factor, instead documenting the observed patterns as they stand.

Problem Gambling Indicators Remain Consistent

The problem gambling rate, defined by a PGSI score of 8 or higher, registers at 2.4 percent in the latest dataset. This figure aligns with the levels recorded in the two preceding years, producing the first multi-year trend line under the revised survey design. Researchers note that the stability extends across both the overall population and several demographic breakdowns, although the report flags minor movements within specific male age cohorts. Those shifts receive mention as areas for continued monitoring rather than as evidence of directional change.

Three Years of Comparable Data

Because earlier survey iterations used different question wording and sampling approaches, direct year-on-year comparisons proved difficult until the current series began. The 2025 report therefore supplies the first opportunity to examine whether participation and harm metrics have moved in any sustained direction. Observers note that the absence of large fluctuations over this period supplies a clearer baseline against which future releases can be measured. The commission presents the three-year series in dedicated tables that separate lottery and non-lottery activity while also breaking results into past-year, past-month, and past-week windows.

Sub-Population Observations

Within the broader stability, the report records modest increases in participation among certain male age groups. These changes appear in the detailed demographic tables rather than in headline totals, and the text emphasizes that they remain within the range of normal sampling variation until additional years confirm or refute the pattern. The survey instrument continues to collect information on frequency, spend, and product type, yet the 2025 wave shows no aggregate departure from the levels established in 2023 and 2024. Analysts therefore treat the dataset as an extension of an emerging time series rather than as an isolated snapshot.

Release Context in July 2026

The commission issued the full report in July 2026, placing the findings alongside routine quarterly statistics releases. This timing allows stakeholders to review the annual survey alongside more frequent operational data, although the GSGB remains distinct in its focus on individual behavior rather than industry revenue. The document itself contains no forward-looking statements and confines commentary to the observed 2025 results and their place within the three-year sequence.

Conclusion

The third annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain report supplies updated participation and problem-gambling estimates that continue the trends established in prior waves. With three years of comparable figures now available, the dataset offers a stable reference point for tracking developments across the adult population in Great Britain. The Gambling Survey for Great Britain Annual Report 2025 presents these statistics through standardized measures that future releases can extend without methodological breaks.