Affected Others: How Gambling Harms Family and Friends in 2026

Official affected others gambling figures show how far gambling reaches beyond the person placing the bet. In the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) 2025, 43.2% of adults said someone close to them gambles, and 4.8% of that group had suffered at least one severe consequence in the past year. This 2026 guide explains those figures alongside our problem gambling statistics UK overview.

Who counts as an affected other

An affected other is a partner, child, parent, friend or colleague who is harmed by another person’s gambling. The term is used by the Gambling Commission, treatment services and researchers alike.

The GSGB first asks every adult: “Does anyone you are close to gamble, even if only occasionally?” Only people who answer yes are then asked about consequences, so the first figure measures closeness to gambling, not harm.

That distinction matters. Most people who gamble do so without causing problems for others, and the survey asks about any kind of gambling, from lottery tickets to European online casinos outside British licensing.

How many people say someone close gambles

Across Great Britain, 43.2% of the 20,424 adults who answered said someone close to them gambles. Women (44.7%) were slightly more likely than men (41.7%) to say so.

Half of adults aged 18 to 34 said someone close gambles, against just over a third of those aged 55 and over. The GSGB covers adults only; separate figures on children are in our guide to young people and gambling.

Severe consequences reported

People who said someone close gambles were asked about four severe consequences of that person’s gambling in the past 12 months. In 2025, 4.8% reported at least one.

A relationship breaking down was the most common severe outcome. Young adults were about three times as likely as those aged 55 and over to report any severe consequence (7.1% against 2.3%).

By our calculation, 4.8% of the 43.2% who have someone close who gambles equals roughly 2% of all adults. The wider economic toll is estimated in our article on the cost of gambling harm.

Everyday gambling harm to families

The survey also asks about less extreme effects, from stress to money worries. Adding together “very often”, “fairly often” and “occasionally”, our calculation shows that 10.8% had felt someone else’s gambling caused them health problems, including stress or anxiety.

The everyday gambling harm families describe is concentrated among younger adults. Among 18 to 34 year olds, 14.5% reported health problems linked to someone else’s gambling, compared with 8.2% of those aged 55 and over.

The person causing the harm may gamble with GB-licensed operators or with non-UK casino sites; the questions do not distinguish between them.

Scotland and the other nations

Scotland has the highest share of adults who say someone close gambles, at 48.3% against 42.6% in England and 44.8% in Wales. Severe consequences were similar across the three nations: 4.8% in England, 5.0% in Scotland and 4.9% in Wales.

Some Scottish figures stand out, such as 2.0% who lost something of significant financial value against 1.2% in England. However, the Scottish base is only 867 respondents and Wales 464, so such gaps are uncertain.

Getting support

Few affected others seek help. In 2025 just 3.3% of people who said someone close gambles had sought help, support or information because of that person’s gambling, rising to 5.4% among 18 to 34 year olds.

• Mental health services: 1.6%
• Relationship counselling and support: 1.6%
• Gambling support services: 1.5%
• Food banks and welfare organisations: 1.4%

Specialist services do treat families. GambleAware statistics show that 967 of the 7,625 people treated at Tier 3 or 4 by the National Gambling Support Network in 2024/25 were affected others, down from 1,112 in 2023/24.

Support for families of gamblers is free. The National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, takes calls from anyone worried about someone else’s gambling, and our guide to gambling treatment UK explains the wider network.

What the data can and cannot tell us

The GSGB’s affected others gambling figures are self-reported survey estimates, published by the Gambling Commission as official statistics. They are not comparable with other surveys, such as the Health Survey for England.

GambleAware’s 2024 Treatment and Support Survey, run on an online panel by YouGov, classed 8.1% of adults as affected others, about 4.3 million people. Its definition counts only people who report negative effects, so it is far lower than the GSGB’s 43.2% who simply know someone who gambles.

Neither survey records where the gambling took place, whether on licensed sites or crypto casinos. They measure the reach of harm, not its cause.

FAQ: affected others and gambling harm

Quick answers from the GSGB 2025 and GambleAware data.