Participation Figures Hold Firm Across the Survey Window

According to the released data, 47 percent of adults aged 18 and over in Great Britain took part in some form of gambling during the four weeks prior to being surveyed in 2025, and that proportion sits in line with previous annual readings from the same study series. When lottery-only participants are set aside, the figure drops to 27 percent, yet this adjusted rate likewise shows little movement year over year. Researchers compiled responses from thousands of individuals to produce these national estimates, and the resulting numbers feed directly into regulatory planning and harm-prevention work.

Further breakdowns indicate that participation spans both online and land-based channels, with many adults engaging across multiple product types within the same four-week window. The survey instrument captures frequency, spend, and channel preference, allowing analysts to track shifts in how people access gambling activities without relying on industry-reported turnover alone.

Primary Motivations Reported by Participants

The report details the reasons adults give for gambling, and three motivations stand out across the full sample. The chance to win large sums appears at the top of the list, cited by 84 percent of those who gambled. Enjoyment or fun ranks second at 69 percent, while the desire to make money follows at 57 percent. These percentages reflect responses collected through structured questioning, and multiple reasons could be selected by any single participant. The consistency of these rankings across the three-year period suggests that core drivers have not changed markedly despite evolving product offerings and marketing approaches.

Problem Gambling Rates Remain Unchanged

Problem gambling prevalence, measured via a PGSI score of 8 or higher, registered at 2.4 percent and stayed level with the rates recorded in the prior two annual releases. The Problem Gambling Severity Index serves as the standard screening tool within the survey, and its application allows direct comparison across waves. Those scoring at this elevated threshold represent the group most likely to experience adverse consequences, and the unchanged figure supplies regulators with a benchmark against which future interventions can be assessed. The report also presents data on moderate-risk and low-risk categories, although the headline stability at the highest severity band draws the strongest attention from policymakers.

Attitudes Among Those Who Gamble

Most participants expressed positive or neutral feelings about their own gambling, with 78 percent placing themselves in these categories. The remaining share reported negative sentiments, yet the majority view indicates that many adults who gamble do not associate the activity with distress or regret. The survey captures these self-reported feelings through direct questions placed after behavioural items, and the resulting distribution offers insight into how gamblers perceive their own experiences within the broader population.

Attitude data sit alongside questions on perceived consequences, including financial, emotional, and relationship impacts. Analysts cross-tabulate these responses with PGSI scores to identify patterns, and the current report shows that the bulk of negative consequences concentrate among the smaller high-severity group while the wider participant base reports minimal disruption.

Survey Methodology and Scope

The Gambling Survey for Great Britain employs a large-scale, nationally representative sample drawn from across England, Scotland, and Wales. Fieldwork occurs continuously to produce annual aggregates, and weighting adjusts for demographic and geographic variables to align with census benchmarks. The third annual edition builds on the two preceding reports, creating a time series that regulators and researchers can use to monitor trends without the distortions sometimes present in shorter or less standardised studies.

Questions cover product participation, frequency, spend, channel, reasons for play, attitudes, and a full PGSI module. Open-text responses also allow participants to describe specific events or outcomes, and these qualitative elements are coded and quantified where appropriate. The resulting dataset supports both headline statistics and more granular subgroup analyses that appear in supplementary tables and dashboards.

Implications for Ongoing Monitoring

Because the participation rate, motivation profile, problem gambling prevalence, and attitude distribution all remained stable, the report supplies a clear baseline for the 2023-2025 period. Regulatory bodies can compare future waves against these figures to detect any movement following policy changes or market developments. The Gambling Survey for Great Britain itself continues to evolve, with refinements to question wording and sampling strategies introduced between waves to improve accuracy and reduce bias.

Public dashboards accompanying the report allow users to explore breakdowns by age, gender, region, and product type, and these interactive tools extend the reach of the official statistics beyond the main written release. Stakeholders ranging from treatment providers to industry operators access the same underlying numbers, supporting evidence-based discussion across different perspectives.