What Britain’s Largest Gambling Survey Revealed in 2026: Participation, Online Lotteries and Addiction Risks

How many people in Britain actually gamble, which activities attract the most players, and how widespread are gambling-related problems? The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) offers some of the clearest answers available in 2026. Commissioned by the UK Gambling Commission, the study examines participation, attitudes and the consequences of gambling across England, Scotland and Wales. Its third annual report, published on 16 July 2026, draws on responses from 20,775 adults surveyed between January 2025 and January 2026. Further findings released in September 2026 provide an early picture of gambling behaviour during the current year. Together, these reports reveal a market heavily influenced by lottery participation, substantial differences between age groups and persistent concerns about gambling-related harm.

Gambling Participation in Britain: What the 2026 Figures Show

Gambling remains a common activity among British adults, although participation depends considerably on how it is measured. According to the Gambling Survey for Great Britain Annual Report 2025, 59% of adults had gambled at least once during the previous 12 months, representing approximately 31 million people. Looking at the preceding four weeks, participation stood at 47%, equivalent to around 25 million adults. However, excluding people who had only entered lottery draws reduces these figures to 40% for annual participation and 27% for the previous four weeks. This distinction matters because an occasional lottery ticket purchase represents a very different pattern of activity from regular sports betting or online casino gaming.

The first quarterly findings from 2026, published by the Gambling Commission on 17 September, suggest that overall participation remains relatively stable. Among 5,277 adults surveyed between January and May 2026, 49% reported gambling during the previous four weeks. That figure fell to 28% after excluding people who participated exclusively in lottery draws. In other words, approximately 21% of British adults had only entered lottery draws during that period. The 2026 survey results therefore reinforce an important finding: lottery products account for a substantial proportion of reported gambling participation.

Participation also differs by age and sex. The September 2026 publication recorded gambling among 53% of men and 44% of women during the preceding four weeks. Overall participation was highest among people aged 45 to 64, reaching between 56% and 59% across the relevant age groups. Yet the picture changes when lottery-only participants are excluded. Adults aged 35 to 44 then record the highest participation rate, at 35%. Older adults are particularly likely to enter lottery draws, while younger and middle-aged groups account for a greater share of participation in other gambling activities. These differences help explain why a single national percentage cannot adequately describe British gambling habits.

Which Gambling Activities Are Most Popular Among British Players?

Lottery products dominate the participation figures. In the 2025 annual survey, purchasing National Lottery tickets was the most frequently reported activity during the previous four weeks, involving 31% of adults. Other charity lotteries attracted 16%, while scratchcards accounted for 12%. The early 2026 figures show a similar preference for familiar lottery products. Outside lottery draws, scratchcards were used by 13% of adults, betting activities by 10%, and online instant win games by 8%. These results demonstrate that traditional lottery products remain central to British gambling, despite the availability of online casino games, sports betting and other digital products.

Preferences become more varied when different groups are examined. The 2025 annual report found that adults aged 18 to 24 who had gambled during the previous four weeks participated in an average of 3.6 different gambling activities, compared with 1.7 among those aged 75 and over. Across all recent gamblers, the average was 2.4 activities. The 2026 quarterly findings also identified a substantial difference in betting participation between men and women, at 16% and 4% respectively. This suggests that younger gamblers and people involved in betting require particular attention when examining patterns of frequent or varied gambling, rather than relying on overall participation alone.

Financial expectations remain an important motivation. In the 2025 survey, 84% of adults who gambled said the possibility of winning a large amount of money was at least sometimes a reason for participating. Enjoyment was mentioned by 69%, making money by 57%, and excitement by 53%. Interestingly, the first 2026 results found that adults aged 18 to 24 were the only age group most likely to identify enjoyment rather than financial motives as their main reason. Attitudes were also mixed: 42% of gamblers described their most recent experience positively, 36% felt neutral and 22% expressed negative feelings in the annual survey. Participation is therefore widespread, but it does not necessarily indicate strong enthusiasm or satisfaction.

Online Lotteries and Their Influence on British Gambling Statistics

One of the most revealing findings concerns the relationship between online gambling and lottery participation. The 2025 annual report found that 38% of adults had gambled online during the previous four weeks, compared with 28% who had gambled in person. At first glance, this suggests a substantial advantage for online gambling. However, removing people who participated exclusively in lottery draws changes the comparison dramatically: online participation falls to 16%, while in-person participation becomes 17%. The figures show that much of the apparent lead enjoyed by online gambling comes from people purchasing lottery tickets digitally, rather than necessarily participating in casino games or sports betting.

Evidence collected during the first months of 2026 supports this interpretation. Online participation reached 39%, compared with 29% for in-person gambling. Once lottery-only participants were removed, these figures dropped to 16% and 18% respectively. The most common online activity was purchasing National Lottery draw tickets, reported by 25% of adults. Another 15% bought tickets for other charity lotteries online, while 8% participated in online instant win games. These percentages describe activity within the previous four weeks and are not mutually exclusive, as the same person may purchase several lottery products or participate in other forms of gambling.

Digital lottery participation has practical advantages for consumers. Tickets can be purchased without visiting a shop, regular entries can be managed through an account, and results can be checked electronically. Nevertheless, online lottery draws and instant win games should not be treated as identical products. A conventional draw involves waiting for a scheduled result, whereas an instant win game provides an immediate outcome and may encourage repeated purchases. The survey records both activities within its broader assessment of gambling, but their different characteristics matter when considering spending habits, frequency and possible harm. Strong online participation alone is not evidence that British consumers increasingly favour high-frequency casino games.

Why Online Participation Figures Need Careful Interpretation

The Gambling Survey for Great Britain is one of the world’s largest dedicated studies of gambling behaviour, with approximately 20,000 respondents annually. It is conducted by the National Centre for Social Research in collaboration with the University of Glasgow. Participants can complete the survey online or through a paper questionnaire, helping researchers reach adults with different levels of internet access and digital experience. The findings are weighted to provide estimates for the adult population of Great Britain. However, like any survey, they remain estimates rather than exact population counts. The annual report places the four-week gambling participation estimate of 47% within a 95% confidence interval of approximately 46.3% to 48.6%.

Another important limitation concerns comparisons with older gambling research. The Gambling Commission explains that the GSGB uses a different methodology from previous gambling and health surveys, meaning their figures cannot simply be placed alongside each other to demonstrate increases or decreases. Comparisons within the GSGB series are more appropriate. Its trends report published in July 2026 found that four-week gambling participation remained broadly stable, moving from 48% in 2023 to 47% in 2025. The report did identify some changes, including an increase in non-lottery participation among men aged 55 and over, but not a general surge across the adult population.

Participation percentages also say little about how much money individuals spend or whether gambling is affecting their wellbeing. Someone entering a weekly lottery draw and another person playing online slots every evening may both appear in the same headline figure. Similarly, an online purchase does not automatically mean that someone gambles frequently or experiences financial difficulties. A more useful assessment considers the type of activity, how often it occurs, the amount spent and its consequences. This is particularly relevant when discussing online lotteries because their popularity can substantially influence national gambling statistics without explaining the full range of risks associated with different gambling products.

Gambling Addiction Risks and the Consequences Identified in 2026

The most concerning findings relate to the proportion of adults experiencing symptoms associated with problem gambling. The 2025 annual report uses the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), a nine-question assessment covering gambling behaviour and adverse consequences. Among all adults surveyed, 7.8% recorded a score of 1 to 2, indicating low risk, while 3.5% scored between 3 and 7, indicating moderate risk. A further 2.4% scored 8 or above, the category associated with problem gambling. The Gambling Commission estimates that approximately 1.3 million adults in Great Britain fall into this highest category. These scores are important warning indicators, although they should not be presented as individual clinical diagnoses of gambling addiction.

Risk is not distributed equally throughout the population. Among people who had gambled during the previous 12 months, 4% recorded a PGSI score of 8 or above. The proportion reached 10.4% among gamblers aged 18 to 24, compared with 0.8% among those aged 75 and over. Male gamblers were also more likely than female gamblers to fall into this category, at 5.3% and 2.7% respectively. Financial and social circumstances appear relevant too. In England, 4.5% of adults living in the most deprived areas scored 8 or above, compared with 1.2% in the least deprived areas. These differences identify groups requiring greater attention, without suggesting that age, sex or economic circumstances alone determine whether someone develops gambling problems.

The survey also identifies differences between gambling activities. Among participants in several products, including online slots, casino games, online bingo and football pools, the proportion recording PGSI scores of 8 or above was at least five times higher than among all adults who had gambled during the previous year. This association does not establish that a particular game caused the problems: people experiencing gambling difficulties may participate in several activities. The wider consequences are nevertheless significant. Some 2.7% of past-year gamblers reported at least one severe consequence, while 6.4% had reduced spending on everyday necessities, 5.9% had lied to family members and 5.8% had used savings or borrowed money because of gambling.

What the Research Means for Gambling Safety and Player Protection

Gambling-related harm extends beyond the individual placing bets. The annual survey found that 43.2% of adults knew someone close to them who gambled. Among this group, 4.8% had experienced at least one severe consequence arising from another person’s gambling, including relationship breakdown. Health problems such as stress and anxiety were reported at least occasionally by 10.8%, while 10% mentioned embarrassment, guilt or shame. These experiences illustrate why gambling problems should not be assessed solely through financial losses or the number of people who meet a particular PGSI threshold. Families and partners may experience substantial consequences even when they never gamble themselves.

Access to support remains another challenge. Only 3.4% of people who had gambled during the previous year reported seeking help because of their own gambling. Among those scoring 8 or above on the PGSI, the figure was considerably higher at 47.3%, although this still means many people in the highest-risk group had not sought assistance. Warning signs can include repeatedly chasing losses, concealing expenditure, borrowing money to gamble or allowing gambling to interfere with relationships and everyday responsibilities. Setting spending limits, taking breaks and using self-exclusion arrangements may help reduce exposure, but these measures should not replace professional support when gambling is already causing harm.

For British gambling policy, the evidence published in 2026 highlights two priorities: interpreting participation accurately and improving protection for people experiencing harm. Lottery purchases explain much of the country’s high online participation rate, while the strongest indicators of problem gambling are concentrated among particular groups and gambling activities. The findings also underline the importance of early intervention, affordable spending and accessible treatment. People concerned about their gambling can seek advice through GamCare and the free National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, available around the clock. The NHS also provides information about specialist treatment. Ultimately, the survey shows why the number of people who gamble is only part of the story; the consequences of participation deserve equal attention.