Gambling Treatment and Support in Britain: What the Latest Survey Shows

Gambling treatment UK services are being used more than ever, according to the final GambleAware survey of treatment and support. In its 2024 study, 31% of adults with any gambling problems had used advice, support or treatment in the past year, up from 23%. As GambleAware closed and funding moved to the statutory levy in 2025-26, it is the key baseline for 2026, and it sits alongside the cost of gambling harm estimated by OHID.

About the GambleAware survey

The Annual GB Treatment and Support study for 2024 surveyed 17,933 adults in Great Britain, including 2,947 with a PGSI score of 1 or more. It was run by YouGov on its online panel of about 400,000 members, with fieldwork from 25 November to 23 December 2024, and published in 2025.

The results are weighted to match the adult population, but the method differs from official surveys. Online panels tend to find higher rates of gambling problems than household surveys, so the figures are best used for trends and for who seeks help.

The 15.6% PGSI 1+ rate is not comparable with the 5% found by the Health Survey for England 2024 or with the Gambling Survey for Great Britain. Our problem gambling statistics UK article compares the official measures.

How many people are affected: PGSI 1+ UK

In the 2024 survey, 60.8% of adults had gambled in the past year, about 32 million people. The share with any level of problems (PGSI 1+) rose to 15.6% from 13.1% in 2023, driven by men and 18-34s.

The survey also found that 24% of people who gamble had started in the past 12 months. Recent starters were more likely to show problems (31% against 24%), and half (50%) said they started to make money.

Who seeks help: gambling support demand

Among people with PGSI 1+, usage of advice, support or treatment rose from 23% to 31% between 2023 and 2024, up from 17% in 2019. Gambling support demand, meaning people who want help in the future, rose from 23% to 30%.

Among those with problem gambling (PGSI 8+), 68% had used some form of help and 67% wanted it. The rise in 2024 was concentrated among people with low and moderate problems.

Younger adults are much more likely to seek help, as our guide to young people and gambling also shows. The most common reason for not wanting help among PGSI 1+ respondents was not seeing gambling as a problem (39%); among PGSI 8+ it was stigma (24%).

Inside gambling treatment UK services

Structured treatment is delivered by the National Gambling Support Network (NGSN), a group of providers including GamCare, Gordon Moody and the NHS Primary Care Gambling Service. In 2024-25 it treated 11,960 clients, an 11% rise on 10,754 the year before.

Of the 7,625 Tier 3 and 4 clients, 69% were male and 75% were aged 44 or under. Most (88%) scored as problem gamblers at assessment, 64% had gambling debts and the median spend in the 30 days before assessment was £1,000.

Online was the main place of gambling for 72% of clients, with casino slots the top online activity at 46%. The data does not split licensed sites from non-UK casino sites, so it cannot show where the harm took place.

Half of clients had a first appointment within six days and 75% within 12 days. Treatment lasted a median of 9 weeks and 7 appointments; 59% completed, 28% dropped out, and 93% of completers improved their PGSI score.

NHS gambling clinics are only partly covered. NHS treatment providers stopped submitting data to the reporting framework after NHS England policy decisions, a drop of roughly 650 clients from 2021-22 to 2022-23.

Affected others gambling

Affected others are people harmed by the gambling of a partner, parent, child or friend. In 2024, 8.1% of adults identified as one, up from 7.0% in 2023 and equal to about 4.3 million people.

Three in four (75%) reported negative effects such as depression, anxiety or anger, and half (50%) had financial consequences. The share who sought advice or support rose to 44% from 35% in 2023.

In NGSN treatment, 967 Tier 3 and 4 clients were affected others in 2024-25, or 13% of the total including people at risk. The NHS Primary Care Gambling Service also treats people affected by someone else’s gambling.

Prize draws: a hidden risk

For the first time, the survey looked closely at prize draws and charity lotteries. One in three (33%) people who gamble had entered a prize draw in the past year, rising to 67% among those with problem gambling.

Around 27% of people who gamble showed some level of problems from prize draws, and 11% problem gambling. Many interviewees did not see these draws as gambling at all because the money went to a good cause.

Prize draws sit largely outside the licensed figures in our UK gambling industry statistics. That makes them easy to miss for both players and support services.

Where to get help in 2026

The National Gambling Helpline is free and open 24/7 on 0808 8020 133 in England and Scotland, and 0808 2819 265 in Wales. It handles over 52,000 calls a year and was the source of 50% of NGSN referrals in 2024-25.

GAMSTOP lets people self-exclude from all websites and apps run by operators licensed in Great Britain. It does not reach European online casinos or other sites licensed abroad, because those operators are outside the GB scheme.

The same gap applies to crypto casinos that hold no Gambling Commission licence. GPs can refer people to NHS services, and self-referral accounted for 34% of NGSN treatment referrals.

FAQ: gambling treatment UK

Short answers from the GambleAware 2024 survey and NGSN statistics for 2024-25.