Approximately 1.4% of all UK residents who have gambled over the course of 2015 could be classified as problem gamblers, a report by the UK Gambling Commission shows.
The regulator used its latest publication to call for the implementation of more effective measures for the protection of vulnerable people from being exposed to excessive gambling and for supporting and encouraging people with problem gambling behavior in coping with the issue.
The Commission’s full report can be read here. It encompasses datа collected from the Health Survey for England 2015, the Wales Omnibus 2015, and the Scottish Health Survey.
According to the report’s findings, 1.4% of all people classified as gambling customers were ones with problem gambling behavior. As mentioned above, that makes 0.8% of the whole population of the United Kingdom. Around 6.4% of all gambling customers were classified as ones being at risk of becoming problem gamblers.
The UK Gambling Commission also found that around 63% of all UK residents aged 16 or over had participated in any form of gambling activity within the reviewed timeframe. The report pointed out that men were more prone to engaging in any gambling activity than women. Of all male adults aged 16 or over, 66% had gambled during 2015, while 59% of all female adults had taken part in one gambling activity or another.
National Lottery draws, scratchcards, and other lottery products turned out to be the most popular gambling activities during the reported period. Around 49% of all gambling customers played National Lottery draws, 23% were keen on scratchcards, and lottery products attracted 15% of all gambling people in 2015.
Representatives of the middle age group were found to had been the most active gambling customers during the reported period. Excluding customers who only played National Lottery draw, participation in gambling activities was the highest among members of the younger adult demographic.
As one could assume, gambling participation varied from one region of the UK to another. In London, the gambling participation rate stood at 52%. In Scotland, gambling participation was estimated to 68%.
The highest problem gambling rates were estimated among those who had opted for spread betting and betting exchange services, with rates standing at 20.1% and 16.2%, respectively. Playing poker at clubs and pubs, offline betting, and gaming machines across betting shops were the other three most preferred types of gambling activities among people showing clear problem gambling behavior with rates standing at 15.9%, 15.5%, and 11.5%, respectively.
The UK gambling industry has been on the rise over the past several years. Under the latest gross gambling yield figures presented by the UK Gambling Commission, the nation’s industry was worth £13.8 billion in the period between October 2015-September 2016. Online gambling was the largest sector with gross gambling yield of nearly £4.5 billion, followed by betting with gross gambling yield of £3.4 billion and casino with almost £1.2 billion generated during the reviewed period.
