Gambling Behaviour In Great Britain 2016 Rating: 4,4/5 1725 reviews
  • Participation in gambling activities 63% of adults (16+) in Great Britain had gambled in the past year, with men (66%) being more likely than women (59%) to do so. The most popular gambling activities were the National Lottery draws (46%), scratchcards (23%) and other lotteries (15%).
  • The UK Gambling Commission recently published data to show how the pandemic has affected gambling behavior among players in Great Britain. The data covers a time frame from March to August when the pandemic first took hold and looks at both online and land-based gambling activities.
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This report, prepared for the Gambling Commission UK, provides information about gambling behaviour in Great Britain using data combined from the Health Survey for England 2015, and the Scottish Health Survey 2015 and the Wales Omnibus in 2015. The study examines the prevalence and characteristics of gambling participation, at-risk gambling and problem gambling.

Great Britain has one of the most accessible gambling markets in the world. Opportunities to gamble exist on most high streets and, with the spread of the internet, in virtually every home. People with gambling problems often experience a range of negative effects, including health issues, relationship breakdown, and difficulties with debt. In more severe cases gambling problems can lead to crime, thoughts of suicide or suicide itself.

This report provides the latest estimates of gambling participation and problem and at-risk gambling in England, Scotland and Wales, based on data collected in 2015. Analysis was conducted as soon as all three datasets were made available. Where data is comparable for all three countries, estimates are provided for Great Britain as a whole. This is the first time that data about gambling behaviours has been available from a large sample of respondents in all three British nations, and collected in the same timeframe, since the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010.

The Gambling Commission and government need to do more to ensure that regulation can protect gamblers effectively, according to a new NAO report.

There are an estimated 1.8 million ‘at risk’ gamblers and 395,000 ‘problem’ gamblers – including 55,000 children, some of whom are as young as 11.1

2016

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Gambling addiction can lead to mental health problems, relationship difficulties, large-scale financial loss and, in some cases, crime or suicide.

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United Kingdom

The NAO’s report looks at regulation of an industry which now yields over £11.3 billion2 for gambling operators every year. The Gambling Commission3, which regulates the industry, has annual funding of £19 million and almost all of it comes from licence fees paid by gambling operators. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) is the government department with overall responsibility for gambling policy and regulation.

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The report concludes that while the Commission has improved regulation, there is much more it should do. It has increased enforcement against gambling operators that break rules, for example by revoking licences, and has also strengthened its rule book.4 But it needs to do more to incentivise operators to raise standards and be more systematic and detailed in recording and analysing information about gamblers to plug gaps in its knowledge.

Even if the Commission makes these improvements, it is a small body that is unlikely to be fully effective in regulating a challenging and fast-changing industry within the current system. Gambling regulation does not have features seen in other sectors, such as an ombudsman, and the way it is funded is not flexible meaning the Commission cannot change licence fees to respond to new risks emerging quickly from changes in technology and demand.

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The report’s recommendations include that the Commission and DCMS should:

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  • Be more strategic about getting gambling companies to better protect people. This could include incentivising companies to do more to make gambling safer beyond meeting minimum requirements
  • Ensure gamblers are aware of services to resolve disputes, and review whether these arrangements are working effectively.
  • Review how regulation is funded so they can keep pace with a fast-changing industry.