GSGB 2025 Data: UK Gambling Commission Reports Stable 2.4% Problem Gambling Rate

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) published its 2025 Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) on July 16, finding that 47% of adults gambled in the past four weeks and 2.4% scored 8 or higher on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), the threshold commonly linked to problem gambling.

Alongside the annual report, the regulator released its first three-year trends dataset covering 2023 to 2025, showing that participation, enjoyment and problem-gambling rates have remained stable since the survey launched.

The GSGB Annual Report 2025 surveyed 20,775 adults between January 2025 and January 2026. Strip out lottery-only players and participation falls to 27%. Online gambling (38%) beat in-person play (28%), but lottery ticket sales explain the gap. Excluding lottery-only players, it is 16% online against 17% in person.

On harms, 7.8% of participants scored 1-2 on the PGSI and 3.5% scored 3-7.

Among past-year gamblers, 2.7% reported at least one severe consequence, most commonly a relationship breakdown (1.7%), and 3.4% had sought support for their own gambling.

Head of Statistics Helen Bryce flagged one shift beneath the stable headline: gambling is rising among men aged 55 and over.

Why Do These Numbers Matter?

The GSGB replaced older telephone and health surveys in 2023 with a push-to-web methodology, resetting the baseline after years of dispute over whether problem gambling sat near 0.3% or 2.5%. Three consistent years now suggest the higher figures are structural, not a blip.

The stable readings also land just as the statutory levy and online slot stake limits settle, giving both operators and reform campaigners fresh ammunition. Two companion reports published the same day argue harm should be measured through wider adverse consequences, not the PGSI alone.

A topical report on gambling among ethnic minority communities, built on a combined 50,000-respondent sample, follows in the autumn, and the 2025 dataset lands in the UK Data Service by year-end.

What This Means for Players

Roughly 1 in 40 British adults now shows signs of gambling problems, and the data says that is the persistent norm, not a spike. If your own play is creeping up, free tools and support lines exist to help with this.