One in 40 Brits could be a problem gambler, eight times more than previously thought, report suggests

As many as one in 40 Brits is a problem gambler, eight times higher than previous estimates, according to a survey by the official betting regulator.

Experts said the data, from the Gambling Commission, showed the extent of harm caused by gambling, which included relationship breakdowns, suicide attempts, and reducing spending on household essentials.

The survey of 10,000 people revealed the number of adults that may have a gambling problem has risen to 2.5 per cent — eight times higher than previous surveys. This figure, if replicated nationally, is equivalent to 1.6million Brits.

Charity Gambling with Lives, which supports families bereaved by gambling-related suicide, said the 2.5 per cent ‘problem gambling’ rate was five to eight times higher than the 0.5 per cent and 0.3 per cent identified in previous surveys.

Data from the survey itself, which also recorded gambling harms, showed 1.6 per cent had suffered a relationship breakdown because of their compulsion and a shocking one in 10 had considered or attempted suicide.

Some 41 per cent of adults who gambled in the past 12 months rated the last time they gambled positively, 21 per cent suggested it was negative, and 37 per cent were neutral.

Men were more likely than women to have higher Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores, and problem gambling was highest among those aged 18 to 34.

The proportion of participants with a PGSI score of eight or more was over nine times higher for those who had taken part in betting on non-sports events in person, and more than six times higher for those who had gambled on online slots.

Some 2.5 per cent of all respondents had a PGSI score of eight or more.

‘One of our aims as a regulator is to ensure we gather the best possible evidence on gambling — and today’s publication is the next significant step forward in our journey on creating a robust source of evidence for gambling in Great Britain,’ said Tim Miller, executive director of research and policy at the Gambling Commission.

He added: ‘Data in this report represents the first year of a new baseline, against which future changes can be compared and as such will prove invaluable in deepening further our understanding of gambling across the country.’

The previous most robust survey featuring a problem gambling rate was 2016’s Gambling Behaviour in Great Britain study, which put the figure at 0.7 per cent.

But the regulator warned the latest estimates aren’t directly comparable with results from prior surveys due to differing methodology, including a bigger sample size.

Professor Patrick Sturgis, from the London School of Economics, who independently reviewed the new survey, said estimates of problem gambling rates should be used with caution, as there was a risk the new methodology substantially overstated the true level of gambling and gambling harm in the population.

Men were more likely than women to have higher Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores, and problem gambling was highest among those aged 18 to 34

He said: ‘The new design of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain will significantly enhance the evidence base on patterns and trends in gambling behaviour.

‘With an annual sample size of 20,000 individual interviews across the nations and regions of Great Britain, the survey will provide researchers and policy makers with fine-grained and timely data across a broad range of key indicators.’

Could you be a problem gambler?

If you’re not sure if gambling is causing problems for you answer these questions:

Do you bet more than you can afford to lose?
Do you need to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling?
Have you tried to win back money you have lost (chasing losses)?
Have you borrowed money or sold anything to get money to gamble?
Have you wondered whether you have a problem with gambling?
Has your gambling caused you any health problems, including feelings of stress or anxiety?
Have other people criticised your betting or told you that you had a problem with gambling (regardless of whether or not you thought it was true)?
Has your gambling caused any financial problems for you or your household?
Have you ever felt guilty about the way you gamble or what happens when you gamble?

Score 0 for each time you answer ‘never’, 1 for ‘sometimes’, 2 for if ‘most of the time’ and 3 for ‘almost always’.

If you have a total score of 8 or higher you are likely experiencing gambling-related harms.

A score of 1 to 7 indicates gambling might be having a negative opinion on your life.

However, the charity Gambling with Lives, suggested that the proportion of people harmed by gambling had been ‘massively underestimated for years’.

Charles Ritchie, from the charity, said: ‘These figures show what many of us already knew, that the harms caused by gambling have been massively underestimated, with millions of people in the UK affected.

‘The number of people that have considered or attempted to take their own lives confirms the appalling scale of suicides happening now.

‘Now legislation needs to catch up with this reality.

‘The new Government must immediately bring in a statutory levy on gambling industry profits to pay for vital prevention and treatment and take measures to restrict gambling advertising.’

Dr Carolyn Downs, a senior lecturer at Lancaster University and expert on gambling research, said: ‘I am delighted to see the new Gambling Survey for Great Britain published, and welcome the updated methodology, which will greatly increase knowledge.

‘I am sadly unsurprised at the key finding of 2.5 per cent of respondents experiencing gambling-related harm, up from previous ballpark figures of 0.3 to 0.5 per cent of the population, as this chimes exactly with our findings in a large study in the North West of England with almost 2,000 respondents over two years.’

A spokesman for the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), said: ‘The methodology used in this survey is different to those previously conducted into betting and gaming.

‘As a result, the Gambling Commission has been clear, this survey should not be used to make direct comparisons with results from prior surveys, as a measure of addiction, or to gross up problem gambling prevalence to the whole population.

‘The BGC and our members are committed to raising standards and we welcome any robust study that accurately gauges betting and gaming participation and problem gambling prevalence.

‘The most recent NHS Health Survey for England estimated that 0.4 per cent of the adult population are problem gamblers.’

This figure is equivalent to one in 250 people or nearly 270,000 people.