New official data on gambling in Scotland show that 60.3% of Scottish adults gambled in the past year, according to the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) 2025, published in July 2026. Excluding people who only played lottery draws, the figure falls to 40.8%. Scotland sits close to England and Wales on almost every measure.
Where the Scottish figures come from
The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) is the Gambling Commission’s main source of data on who gambles and how. Fieldwork for the 2025 annual report was carried out by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) in collaboration with the University of Glasgow.
GSGB Scotland results come from the same fieldwork as the rest of Britain. The survey reached 20,775 adults, of whom 1,883 lived in Scotland. In Scotland, 8,172 addresses were invited and 1,344 households took part, a household response rate of 18.1%.
People answer online or on a paper questionnaire. The Commission describes the GSGB as official statistics in development, and its results should not be compared with older Scottish Health Survey figures because the methods differ.
Fieldwork ran across four waves during 2025 and into January 2026. Results are weighted so that they represent the adult population of each country by age, sex and region. Because people report their own gambling, the survey also picks up play at crypto casinos and other sites without a GB licence.
With around 1,860 Scottish answers per question, small gaps between Scotland, England and Wales are usually within the margin of error. This article says “similar” where differences are small.
How many adults gamble in Scotland?
In the past 12 months, 60.3% of Scottish adults took part in at least one form of gambling. That is in line with England (58.7%) and below Wales (63.2%).
Lottery draws account for a large share of this activity. When people who only bought lottery draw tickets are excluded, participation in Scotland falls to 40.8%, against 40.0% in England and 43.0% in Wales.
Across Great Britain, rates vary more between English regions than between countries. London had the lowest past-year figure at 48.5%, while the North East was highest at 64.0%.
| Measure | Scotland | England | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gambled in past 12 months | 60.3% | 58.7% | 63.2% |
| Past 12 months, excluding lottery-draw-only | 40.8% | 40.0% | 43.0% |
| Gambled in past 4 weeks | 49.8% | 46.9% | 52.0% |
| Gambled online in past 4 weeks | 39.7% | 37.6% | 40.5% |
| Gambled in person in past 4 weeks | 29.6% | 27.2% | 33.7% |
For the full Great Britain picture, including age and sex breakdowns, see our guide to how many people gamble in the UK.
Online vs in-person gambling: the Scottish split
Online gambling Scotland figures show that playing on a website or app is more common than gambling in shops, venues or arcades. In the past four weeks, 39.7% of Scottish adults gambled online and 29.6% gambled in person.
Much of that online activity is buying lottery tickets on a website or app. Excluding online lottery draws, only 16.9% of Scottish adults gambled online in the past four weeks, and 18.4% gambled in person on something other than lottery draws. The survey records this play whatever the operator’s licence, so it can include casinos without ID checks that sit outside the official industry data.
Key point: for most Scottish adults who gamble online, “online gambling” means a lottery ticket rather than casino games or sports betting.
The most popular forms of gambling in Scotland
The National Lottery dominates. One in three Scottish adults (33.0%) played a National Lottery draw in the past four weeks, compared with 30.7% in England.
Online sports and racing betting is slightly more common in Scotland (9.5%) than in England (8.4%), and the question covers any bookmaker, including betting sites outside the GamStop scheme. Football pools stand out too, at 2.7% in Scotland against 1.5% in England, which may reflect the strong football culture, though the survey does not test the reason.
Bingo is also a little more popular, at 5.3% compared with 4.3% in England. Online slots and casino games are played by small minorities, and our online slots statistics UK guide looks at that market in detail.
Problem gambling scores (PGSI) for Scottish adults
The survey uses the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), a nine-question screen. A score of 8 or more indicates the highest risk of harm, while scores of 1 to 7 show lower or moderate risk.
These are the headline measures of problem gambling Scotland researchers use. Among all Scottish adults, 2.2% scored 8 or more, similar to Great Britain as a whole (2.4%). Another 4.3% scored 3 to 7 and 8.3% scored 1 or 2.
Looking only at people who gambled in the past year, 3.6% in Scotland scored 8 or more and 7.2% scored 3 to 7. The equivalent 8+ figures were 4.1% in England and 2.7% in Wales.
Deprivation and gambling harm in Scotland
The Commission also splits Scottish PGSI scores by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, which ranks areas from most to least deprived. The results do not show a simple pattern.
The share scoring 8 or more was 1.6% in the most deprived fifth of areas and 1.7% in the least deprived, but 4.6% in the second most deprived fifth. Each group has only 274 to 469 respondents, so these differences should be treated with great caution.
The survey also asks about severe consequences, such as losing a home or committing a crime because of gambling. Among Scottish adults who gambled in the past year, 2.6% reported at least one, compared with 2.8% in England and 1.5% in Wales.
- Lost something of financial value, such as a home or business: 1.1% of Scottish gamblers.
- Relationship breakdown: 1.7%.
- Violence or abuse linked to gambling: 1.7%.
- Committed a crime to fund gambling or pay debts: 1.8%.
These figures are based on 1,124 Scottish gamblers. They are self-reported and cover the past 12 months, so they describe recent harm rather than lifetime experience.
Affected others: when someone close gambles
Gambling harm does not stop with the person who gambles. Almost half of Scottish adults (48.3%) said someone close to them gambles, compared with 43.2% across Great Britain, 42.6% in England and 44.8% in Wales.
Among Scots who said someone close to them gambles, 5.0% reported at least one severe consequence from that person’s gambling. The figure for Great Britain was 4.8%, based on the same question.
Partners, parents and children of people who gamble can get support from the same services as gamblers themselves. Both GamCare and BeGambleAware offer advice for affected others.
How Scotland compares with the rest of Britain
Taken together, the Scotland gambling statistics describe a country that is typical rather than exceptional. Participation, online play and problem-gambling scores are all close to the Great Britain averages.
- Similar: overall participation, online gambling and PGSI 8+ rates.
- Slightly higher: National Lottery draws, online sports betting, football pools and bingo.
- Clearly higher: the share of adults who know someone who gambles.
Scotland’s share of the industry’s revenue is not published separately. For the Great Britain totals, see our UK gambling industry statistics and our explainer on UK gambling tax.
FAQ: gambling in Scotland
Quick answers based on the GSGB 2025 data tables.
What percentage of Scots gamble?
60.3% of Scottish adults gambled in the past 12 months. Excluding lottery-draw-only players, the figure is 40.8%.
Is problem gambling worse in Scotland than in England?
No clear difference is visible. 2.2% of Scottish adults scored 8 or more on the PGSI, compared with 2.4% in England, and the gap is within the margin of error.
What is the most common form of gambling in Scotland?
National Lottery draws, played by 33.0% of adults in the past four weeks, followed by scratchcards at 12.3%.
Who regulates gambling in Scotland?
The Gambling Commission regulates gambling across Great Britain, including Scotland. Local licensing boards handle premises licences.
All percentages are weighted survey estimates from the GSGB 2025 data tables. Combined categories (PGSI 1 to 7) are our own calculation.
- Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain, annual report 2025 (published 16 July 2026).
- Gambling Commission, GSGB 2025 data tables (xlsx): tables A.2, A.6, B.2, B.10, D.4, D.5, D.9, D.11, D.18 and D.19.
Responsible Gambling in the UK
When the fun stops, STOP. 18+
Only gamble with money you can afford to lose. National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133 (free, 24/7).