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Read Full BioThe United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) has posted its latest Gambling Survey for Great Britain, showing reduced gambling participation in the UK.
The commission published the Year 2, Wave 4 report on May 23, revealing that 46% of UK adults have participated in a gambling activity, including the lottery, in the past four weeks. The data shows this as the lowest rate since the survey began in 2023.
Some of the key findings of Wave 4, which surveyed 5,191 participants between September 2024 and January 2025, include:
- Overall participation in gambling activity: 46% (down from 49% in wave 3)
- Participation in the lottery: 34% (down from 37%)
- Gambling participation (excluding lottery): 28% (flat)
- Participation in online gambling (excluding lottery): 17% (up from 16%)
- In-person gambling participation (excluding lottery): 18% (flat)
- Highest participation rate by age group: Males 18-24 (47%, flat)
Men Gamble Online More, In-Person Rate is Similar to Women
The survey indicates that overall lottery participation decreased, while online gambling participation increased. This aligns with the Gambling Commission’s Q1 2025 earnings report, which showed online gambling growth of 7% year-over-year.
The report also shows the difference in the gambling behavior of men and women and between age groups. Men consistently gamble more than women across all gambling types. The gap is widest in online gambling (23% males vs. 11% females).
Regarding age, participation across most gambling formats increases through middle age, with the age group of 35-54 being the peak. Online gambling stands out again as being the exception.
In that segment, 18-24-year-old males gamble the most (33%). The rate drops to 32% for males aged 25-34 and then decreases gradually thereafter. Female participation in online gambling follows the trend of peaking at the 35-54 age group.
The most significant gap between men and women was observed in the betting segment, where 17% (14% online) of men participated, compared to only 4% (almost entirely online) of women.
Contrary to online gambling, in-person gambling shows little difference in participation between men and women. Notably, 26% of women between 35 and 44 gambled (excluding lottery), making them the highest participating group.
Overall Gambling is Declining, But Online Participation is Rising
The latest report highlights that overall gambling participation has been the lowest since the Gambling Commission began conducting the Gambling Survey for Great Britain in 2023.
From July 2023 until July 2024, participation remained flat at 48%. It then increased slightly to 49% in the July 2024 to October 2024 survey (2024 Wave 3), to drop to 46% for Wave 4.
Excluding the lottery, participation in gambling has remained relatively stable. In 2023, it stood at 27%, while in 2024 it increased to 28%. The modest increase could be attributed almost entirely to online gambling.
Participation in online gambling stood at 15% in 2023. That increased to 16% by 2024; the latest data shows 17%. In contrast, in-person gambling dropped from 19% in 2023 to 18% now.
UKGC Survey Explores Why People Gamble
The survey also explored the reasons people gamble. The biggest motivations included the chance of winning big money (85% of respondents) and the fun of it (73%).
Compared to the previous wave, the motivation to win big has remained steady, while the number of people who gamble for fun has increased by 3%.
A noticeable difference from the trend is the 18-24 age group, with 87% saying they gamble for fun, outpacing the 71% who say it’s for the chance to win big money.
The youngest demographic stands out as it appears that winning money is not the leading factor in gambling. Instead, it’s more of a social activity. The age group led all others in the following motivations:
- Because it’s exciting: 75%
- Because it’s something I do with friends or family: 58%
- Because of the sense of achievement when I win: 57%
- To be sociable: 55%
