So, how many people gamble in the UK? The Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) 2025, published in July 2026, found that 59.0% of adults gambled in the past 12 months, and 47.4% did so in any four-week period. Leave out people who only bought lottery draw tickets and the share drops to 40.2%.
About the Gambling Survey for Great Britain 2025
The Gambling Survey for Great Britain 2025 is the Commission’s largest annual study of who gambles. It brings together four waves of fieldwork carried out between 13 January 2025 and 22 January 2026.
In total 20,775 adults took part: 17,791 in England, 1,883 in Scotland and 1,101 in Wales. Invitations went to 88,736 addresses and 14,603 households responded, a response rate of 18.1%.
About 67.0% of participants answered online and 33.0% on paper. The results are weighted to match the adult population, and they cover Great Britain rather than the whole UK, because Northern Ireland is not included. Participants are asked what they did rather than which operator they used, so play at non-UK casino sites is counted alongside GB-licensed gambling.
The Commission publishes shares of the adult population rather than a number of people. This article does the same and does not convert the percentages into millions.
Gambling participation UK: past year vs past month
Gambling participation UK figures depend heavily on the time window. Over 12 months, 59.0% of adults gambled at least once, while 47.4% did so in the four weeks before they answered. Both measures include bets and games at offshore gambling sites, which are missing from the Gambling Commission’s industry data.
Lottery draws make a big difference. Once lottery-draw-only players are excluded, past-year participation falls to 40.2%, meaning roughly a third of past-year gamblers only played the lottery, on our reading of the two figures.
| Group | Past 12 months | Excluding lottery-draw-only |
|---|---|---|
| All adults | 59.0% | 40.2% |
| Men | 60.9% | 42.6% |
| Women | 57.3% | 38.0% |
| Aged 18 to 24 | 47.9% | 45.0% |
| Aged 55 to 64 | 63.8% | 36.8% |
| Aged 75 and over | 51.6% | 22.1% |
Age shows a striking pattern. Young adults are the least likely to gamble at all, yet the most likely to gamble on something other than the lottery, while older adults mostly play lottery draws.
The most popular forms of gambling
The National Lottery remains the most common gamble by a wide margin. In the past four weeks, 31.0% of adults played a National Lottery draw and 36.5% took part in some kind of lottery.
Scratchcards come second at 12.2%, followed by online betting and online instant win games. Online slots (3.3%) and online casino games (2.6%) are played by far fewer people than they are discussed in the media.
That small player base still produces a large share of the industry’s revenue. Our online slots statistics UK guide shows how much is staked, and the UK gambling industry statistics article puts it in context.
Online vs in-person gambling
Online gambling has overtaken in-person gambling. In the past four weeks, 37.9% of adults gambled online and 27.7% gambled in person, with many doing both.
Lottery tickets bought on an app or website make up much of the online figure. Excluding lottery draws, only 16.0% of adults gambled online in the past four weeks. The question covers any website or app, so it also takes in European online casinos that accept British players.
Age changes the picture again. 23.4% of 18 to 24 year olds gambled online, against 45.8% of 55 to 64 year olds, but once lottery draws are removed the young group leads with 19.7% against 13.4%.
- Online betting: 8.4% of adults bet online on sports or racing in the past four weeks.
- Online instant win: 7.9% played online instant win games, often sold alongside the lottery.
- Online casino and slots: 2.6% played online casino games and 3.3% online slots.
- Any betting: 9.8% placed some kind of bet, online or in a shop.
Men vs women
Men gamble slightly more than women overall, at 50.6% against 44.5% in the past four weeks. The gap widens sharply for betting.
15.0% of men placed a bet in the past four weeks, compared with 4.8% of women. For online sports and racing betting the figures are 13.3% and 3.8%.
Put another way, men are about three times as likely as women to bet. The National Lottery is more balanced, with 34.1% of men and 28.1% of women playing a draw. Men are also more likely to play online casino games, at 4.0% compared with the all-adult figure of 2.6%.
Men, past 4 weeks
- Any gambling 50.6%
- Any betting 15.0%
- Online sports betting 13.3%
- National Lottery draws 34.1%
Women, past 4 weeks
- Any gambling 44.5%
- Any betting 4.8%
- Online sports betting 3.8%
- National Lottery draws 28.1%
Problem gambling rate UK: what the PGSI shows
The survey measures harm with the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). A score of 8 or more indicates the highest risk, scores of 3 to 7 moderate risk, and 1 or 2 low risk.
Across all adults, 2.4% scored 8 or more and 3.5% scored 3 to 7. A further 7.8% scored 1 or 2, while 45.3% gambled with a score of zero and 41.1% had not gambled at all.
Among people who gambled in the past year, 4.0% scored 8 or more. In total 23.1% of gamblers had a score of at least 1, on our calculation, which means 76.9% reported no problems.
The survey also records severe consequences, such as relationship breakdown or crime linked to gambling. 2.7% of past-year gamblers reported at least one, rising to 5.5% among those aged 18 to 34.
How many people gamble in the UK, region by region
Differences between the nations are small, but the English regions vary more. London has by far the lowest rate, with 48.5% gambling in the past year and 33.9% once lottery-draw-only players are excluded.
| Country or region | Gambled in past 12 months |
|---|---|
| North East | 64.0% |
| Wales | 63.2% |
| East of England | 62.4% |
| North West | 62.2% |
| West Midlands | 62.0% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 61.0% |
| East Midlands | 60.6% |
| Scotland | 60.3% |
| England (all) | 58.7% |
| South East | 58.1% |
| South West | 56.6% |
| London | 48.5% |
The Commission does not explain the London figure, and the survey cannot show cause and effect. A younger population and a larger share of people who do not gamble for cultural or religious reasons are possible factors, but they are not tested in the tables.
Why GSGB figures differ from older surveys
Earlier estimates came from health surveys such as the Health Survey for England and the Scottish Health Survey, which used face-to-face interviews. Those surveys produced lower problem gambling rates than the GSGB.
The Commission says the two approaches are not comparable. It advises against putting GSGB results side by side with the health survey figures to argue that gambling or harm has risen. People tend to report sensitive behaviour more openly online or on paper than to an interviewer, and the GSGB also asks about gambling in much more detail.
- Official statistics in development: the GSGB is still being refined, so methods may change.
- No long trend yet: the series began recently, so year-on-year changes should be read carefully.
- Country comparisons: differences between England, Scotland and Wales are small and mostly not significant.
For the Scottish results in detail, read our analysis of gambling in Scotland. Scotland’s figures are close to the Great Britain average on almost every measure.
Gambling also funds public services. Our explainer on UK gambling tax shows how much the main duties raise.
FAQ: how many people gamble in Britain
Short answers on how many people gamble in the UK, drawn from the GSGB 2025 data tables.
What percentage of UK adults gamble?
59.0% of adults in Great Britain gambled in the past 12 months, and 47.4% in the past four weeks.
What is the most popular form of gambling?
National Lottery draws, played by 31.0% of adults in the past four weeks. Scratchcards are second at 12.2%.
What is the problem gambling rate in the UK?
2.4% of adults scored 8 or more on the PGSI in the GSGB 2025. Among people who gambled in the past year, the figure is 4.0%.
Do men gamble more than women?
Slightly overall, but much more on betting: 15.0% of men placed a bet in the past four weeks, compared with 4.8% of women.
All figures are weighted survey estimates for adults aged 18 and over in Great Britain. Combined PGSI categories 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.1, A.2, B.1, B.2, B.9, D.4, D.5 and D.11.
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).