New UKGC Report Reveals Latest Data on Gambling Popularity

Article by : Erik Gibbs Mar 6, 2024

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has released its latest Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), a comprehensive study carried out by NatCen that involved 4,801 participants over five months from July to November 2023. The results show that gambling remains one of the top entertainment options in the UK.

Examining the demographic patterns, men aged 45-54 emerged as the most active group in gambling. However, once lottery participation is factored out, the demographic shift indicates that men aged 18-44 dominate in non-lottery-related gambling.

The UKGC emphasized that the data presented in this edition is not directly comparable to previous gambling survey publications because of methodological changes. This is also reflected in recent comments by UKGC boss Andrew Rhodes. He’s hinted several times that there are inconsistencies in how data is compiled and reported.

Among the respondents, 48% acknowledged engaging in gambling activities within the four weeks leading up to the survey. In this diverse group, 38% opted for online gambling, while 29% favored in-person gambling at brick-and-mortar locations like physical casinos or lottery kiosks.

Interestingly, a significant 31% of participants revealed purchasing National Lottery tickets. What stands out is that 21% of those surveyed exclusively resorted to lottery tickets as their chosen form of gambling. A notable portion, constituting one-fifth of the respondents.

Regarding online engagement, the initial figure of 38% sees a substantial drop to 16% when lottery-related results are omitted. Similarly, the retail gambling statistic of 29% diminishes to 18% when exclusive lottery players are not considered.

Lottery draws claimed the top spot in popularity at 37%. Following closely were scratchcards at 13%, sports and events betting at 10%, and instant win games at 7%.

Diving into specific categories, live football emerged as the crowd-favorite sport for betting. Live dog and horse racing securing the second position.

When participants were questioned about their sentiments towards gambling, a significant 37% expressed a very neutral stance, rating it 5 out of 10. Curiously, both extreme ends of the spectrum, 0/10 (hated it) and 10/10 (loved it), each garnered 4% of the votes.

It’s worth noting that the UKGC has not only presented this data but has also recently unveiled statistics encompassing bets, games and more gaming dynamics.

All those interested in further research can stay tuned for the next installment in this series, Wave 2, 2023, scheduled for release on June 27, 2024.