'It's vital that policy remains proportionate' - industry body reiterates concerns that official gambling statistics produce 'inflated' figures

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Industry body the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has repeated concerns that official statistics about gambling are inaccurate after the latest figures were published on Thursday.

The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) has been described by the Gambling Commission as one of the world's largest dedicated studies of its kind, with around 20,000 respondents each year.

However, its methodology has been criticised and it reports substantially higher rates of problem gambling than other surveys such as those carried out by the NHS, which have found rates of less than one per cent.

There are fears the GSGB figures will be used to justify even harsher regulation of gambling including affordability checks.

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The third annual report of the GSGB found that 2.4 per cent of adults scored eight or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) in 2025, down from 2.7 per cent the previous year and equating to an estimated 1.3 million people. 

The Gambling Commission described the rate as being "stable", with the figure in the first annual report having been 2.5 per cent.

However, a BGC spokesperson said: "There remain well-evidenced concerns that the Gambling Survey for Great Britain substantially oversamples gamblers and therefore produces inflated participation and harm levels.

"The latest NHS Health Survey for England estimates that 0.7 per cent of adults are problem gamblers, one of the lowest rates internationally, demonstrating that Britain's robust regulatory framework is working.

"It is vital that policy remains proportionate, based on the most robust evidence available, while ensuring those who need support can access it quickly and effectively."

The Gambling Commission has described direct comparisons between the GSGB and surveys using different methodologies as "not appropriate". 

One industry source had a more trenchant view. They said: "The Gambling Commission has been captured by the anti-gambling lobby and that drives its thinking. It’s as simple as that. The problem gambling rate has fallen and people tell them they bet because it’s fun – yet we get chapter and verse about the consequences of gambling."

The GSGB found that headline gambling participation rates were stable with 47 per cent of respondents aged 18 and over participating in any form of gambling in the past four weeks, which reduced to 27 per cent when excluding those who only played the lottery.

The majority of gamblers – 78 per cent – had a positive or neutral view towards their gambling, with the most common reasons for participation being winning big money (84 per cent), because gambling is fun (69 per cent), to make money (57 per cent) and because it was exciting (53 per cent).

Tim Miller: GSGB publication "marks an important milestone"

The commission's executive director for research and policy Tim Miller said: "The publication of the third annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain marks an important milestone.

"Three years of GSGB provides a richer, more timely picture of the trend in gambling in Great Britain than has previously been available. It helps us understand not only who gambles and the products they use, but also why people gamble, the range of experiences they have, and the consequences gambling can have in people's lives. This evidence is a vital part of a wider evidence base that informs policy, regulation and wider public discussion."

He added: "As with all official statistics, we remain committed to ensuring GSGB continues to meet the highest standards through transparency, independent scrutiny and ongoing methodological improvement."

The GSGB does not include statistics on the use of illegal operators by people in Great Britain, and the BGC said that the government and Gambling Commission "should take urgent action to tackle the growing harmful black market, which independent experts have warned could double in size over the next five years, putting more consumers at risk by driving them towards illegal operators offering none of the protections found in the regulated market".

In a separate announcement, the BGC said research by H2 Gambling Capital had concluded the rise in remote gaming duty announced in last year's budget, alongside lower returns to players in the regulated sector, was expected to push more customers towards the black market.  

The report forecast the illegal market's share of online betting will more than double to 22 per cent by 2031 from ten per cent in 2025, with online gambling turnover in the illegal market also more than doubling to £36 billion.

BGC chief executive Grainne Hurst said: "The only winners from these tax hikes will be criminal operators based overseas. Britain will lose jobs, investment and tax revenue, while consumers are pushed towards operators offering none of the protections found in the regulated market." 

Read these next:

Get ready for a tidal wave of junk science: the misinformation war on gambling is about to get much worse 

A question of trust: should the Gambling Commission be allowed to mark its own homework on affordability checks? 

Next generation of legal punters could be lost for good because of 'really dangerous' checks 

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