The analysis showed that 48% of the English gambled.
The Gambling Commission has published the results of the studies. NatCen was responsible for conducting them from July to November 2023. The results are staggering - a survey of 4,801 respondents confirmed an increase in demand for gambling in the UK.
The results of the Gambling Commission's study
The UK Gambling Commission has been impressed with the results. Over a period of 5 months, the demand for gambling has only increased. Their participation in gambling was confirmed by 48% of those surveyed. They had gambled at least 1 time in the last 4 weeks at the time of the survey.
The respondents' answers were distributed as follows:
- 38% gambled online, choosing licensed internet casinos to do so;
- 29% of respondents choose to play at regular casinos, lottery kiosks and land-based gambling halls;
- 31% regularly play the National Lottery;
- 29% choose the lottery as a form of gambling entertainment.
If we exclude all those who have not taken part in the lottery in the last 4 weeks, only 27% of the total number of respondents remain. As the established trend shows, in the UK lotteries are perceived as a way of leisure, but not as a full-fledged gambling entertainment.
Let's continue to look at the results of the commission's research. Gambling is more commonly chosen by men aged between 47 and 54. If we add to this sample the results taking into account lotteries, the age of men will be from 18 to 54 years. Given such a huge difference, let's compare the results in more detail:
|
Study Parameter |
Gambling with lottery included |
Gambling without lottery |
|
Online participation in games |
38% |
16% |
|
Offline gambling (retail outlets) |
29% |
18% |
|
Age of all respondents |
From 35 to 54 years old |
From 18 to 54 years old |
As you can guess, there is an undoubted leader in popularity among the British - lotteries. They are chosen for gambling by 37% of the total number of respondents. Further steps of popularity are distributed in the following way:
- scratch cards - 13%;
- sports betting - 10%;
- games with instant results - 7%.
Let's make it clear: the last category included slots, roulette, popular card games and crash games. Separately, let's focus your attention on sports betting. In the UK they are legalized, respectively accepted both online and in the usual points of reception. Most often bets were made on such sports as soccer, dog racing and horse racing. Taking into account the peculiarities of the region, such results will not surprise anyone.
Returning to the results of the research, we should also note the attitude of respondents to gambling. Their answers were distributed in the following way:
- positively or 10 out of 10 - 4%;
- neutral or 5 out of 10 - 37%;
- negatively or 0 out of 10 - 4%.
Moreover, the respondents who rated their attitude to gambling as 0 out of 10 said that they hate it. It remains to be seen why the casino received such a glowing assessment.
Gambling Commission's plans for 2024
The second part of the study, the UK Gambling Commission plans to publish in June 2024. It will examine the impact of gambling on the financial situation of respondents. According to preliminary data, the study will survey 4,500 UK residents - men and women aged 18 to 60.
While the study is in the active stage of conducting, we are left to evaluate its 1st part and draw conclusions. Almost half of the UK population actively gambles, which is quite a lot. Given the growing interest, in as little as 1-2 years, this could create a surge in gambling addiction.
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