Gambling trends in Great Britain: insights from recent survey
The Gambling Commission of Great Britain has recently released its latest findings on gambling participation, shedding light on the habits and preferences of adults across England, Scotland, and Wales. Conducted by NatCen, the survey gathered data from a sample of over 5,000 adults aged 18 and above.
Participation patterns
According to the data, nearly half of all adults surveyed reported engaging in gambling activities within the past month. The most prevalent form of gambling among respondents was participation in lottery draws, both national?or charity-led.
21% of respondents exclusively engaged in lottery draws over the previous four weeks. Participants in lottery draws tended to be older compared to other types of gamblers.
According to the data, a majority of gamblers in Great Britain are men.
Gambling habits
Lotteries, including national lotteries (31%) and charity lotteries (15%), emerged as the most popular forms of gambling in Great Britain, followed by scratch-cards (13%), betting (9%) and instant wins (6%).
Online platforms have become the preferred medium for gambling:?71% of respondents opting for online channels, rising to 82%when excluding respondents who only play lottery draws.
Popular gambling practices in Great Britain – SiGMA – data from the Great Britain Gambling Commission
The influence of age on gambling motivations
The motivations driving gambling behaviours varied among respondents?from different age groups: younger people?(aged 18 to 24) tend to play for fun,?or to socialise,?while older players’ main objective is financial gain.
Younger players indicated a stronger preference for gambling for fun (86% of younger respondents vs. 70% of the general population), compared to the pursuit of monetary rewards, which is the main motivation for the general population: 86% of the general population vs. only 75% of younger respondents.
For younger gamblers, social interaction and competition emerged as significant motivations. A notable 46% of young respondents cited socialising as a reason for gambling, compared to 23% of the general population. Additionally, competing with others (20% among young respondents versus 8% overall) and the desire to impress peers (21% versus 7%) were more prevalent among younger gamblers.
Notably, almost 20% of respondents stated that one reason they gamble is the fear of missing out on a potential win if they choose not to gamble.
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