The Gambling Commission has released the first annual report of the Gambling Survey of Great Britain (GSGB), which features responses from 9,804 people, which will increase to 20,000 by next year.
The GSGB was launched as a means to change the way in which data is collected related to adult gambling participation and problem gambling prevalence statistics.
Some of the key figures from the data showed that 48% of participants aged 18 and over had participated in any form of gambling in the past four weeks, with the mean number of activities for those who had participated in gambling in the past four weeks was 2.2 activities.
Regarding participants' feelings towards gambling, 41% of adults who gambled in the past 12 months rated the last time they gambled with a positive score between 6 and 10, while the most common reason for gambling, at 86%, was the chance of winning big money.
The data also showed that 2.5% of respondents had a Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) score of 8 or more, though it has been underlined by Professor Patrick Sturgis that there is a risk that the new methodology may overstate the true level of gambling and gambling harm in the population.
This comes after the Gambling Commission published guidance surrounding the data and how to use it, highlighting that it should only be used with some caution to provide estimates of PGSI scores and the prevalence of consequences of gambling amongst adults in Great Britain.
What they said
Gambling Commission Executive Director of Research and Policy Tim Miller said: “One of our aims as a regulator is to ensure we gather the best possible evidence on gambling – and today’s publication is the next significant step forward in our journey on creating a robust source of evidence for gambling in Great Britain.
“Data in this report represents the first year of a new baseline, against which future changes can be compared and as such will prove invaluable in deepening further our understanding of gambling across the country.”
Professor of Quantitative Social Science at the London School of Economics Professor added: "The new design of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain will significantly enhance the evidence base on patterns and trends in gambling behaviour.
“With an annual sample size of 20,000 individual interviews across the nations and regions of Great Britain, the survey will provide researchers and policymakers with fine-grained and timely data across a broad range of key indicators.
“Using a push-to-web mixed mode design and random probability sampling from the Postcode Address File, the survey implements state-of-the-art methodology to a very high standard."
Back in April, Melanie Ellis, Partner at Northridge Law LLP, appeared on the Huddle to talk about a variety of areas in the UK market including the Gambling Survey for Great Britain.
