Overall gambling participation in the UK remained steady year-on-year, according to figures from the Gambling Commission’s latest Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), while lottery was again the most popular form of gambling by some margin.
The “GSGB Wave 2” report covers the period from 7 April to 20 July. Findings were based on the responses of 4,750 adults in Britain aged 18 and over.
Stand-out figures include 47% of adults gambled at least once in the past four weeks. This was only slightly behind 48% both in the same period last year and the “Wave 1” period, covering 13 January to 27 April this year.
Approximately one fifth of adults surveyed only took part in lottery draws, across the National Lottery or charity lottery draws. When excluding lottery players, overall gambling participation rate was 28% – which, incidentally, was higher than 27% in both comparable periods.
Lottery players skew gambling age rates
Overall, gambling participation was highest in the 55-64 age group, accounting for 54% of all play. Some 56% of this group were male and 52% female.
However, when excluding those who only participated in lottery draws, the figures made for very different reading. Instead, the 25-44 age band had the highest rate at 36%, with 43% being male.
After lottery, the most popular gambling form among UK consumers was sports betting, with 12% wagering in the past four weeks. Joint top was scratchcards, also with a 12% play rate, then online instant win games at 8%.
Within the betting segment, the commission made changes to how certain types of betting was reported. During Wave 2, dog racing and horse racing were split to become separate categories. Horse racing betting participation climbed from 4% in Wave 1 to 7%, which the commission said reflected seasonal change in the sector due to larger racing events taking place within the period, including the Grand National.
Online gambling play rate remains consistent
Focusing on online gambling, player participation rate also held steady at 38% for the past four weeks. After removing lottery-only players, the rate was 17%, which was again in line with the same period in 2024.
Online National Lottery draw tickets were the most popular product, with 25% of adults buying a digital ticket in the past four weeks. Other lottery draw tickets followed in 15%, then online sports and racing betting at 10%.
As for in-person gambling rates, this was 28% for the whole market and 18% when taking out lottery-only players.
National Lottery tickets were most popular at a 15% play rate, ahead of scratchcards on 12%. Charity lottery draw tickets followed on 6%, then sports betting on 4% and bingo at 3%.
As for why players chose to gamble, “chance to win big money” and “because it’s fun” were again the most popular responses. The commission flagged how the fun factor was the stand-out reason for those aged 18-24.
Some 47% of adults said they gambled at least once in the past four weeks.