The latest survey data released by the UK Gambling Commission shows that the gambling participation rate among UK adults has remained stable over the past year. Among various gambling activities, purchasing national or charity lotteries continues to be the undisputed "popularity king," dominating the overall market participation pattern.
Nearly half of the adults participate in gambling, with lottery players "carrying the flag"
According to the "GSGB Phase Two" survey report covering April to July this year (based on feedback from 4750 adults aged 18 and over), nearly half of UK adults (47%) reported participating in at least one gambling activity in the past four weeks. This figure is only slightly down from the same period last year and earlier this year's Phase One data (both at 48%), showing the overall stability of the market.
However, if you remove those who only buy lottery tickets from the data, the whole picture changes. The survey shows that about one-fifth of adults only participated in lottery drawings. Excluding this group of "pure lottery players," the overall gambling participation rate is actually only 28%, which is slightly higher than last year's 27%. This indicates that the large base of lottery players significantly "beautifies" the overall gambling participation data.
Age and preferences: Removing lottery, the younger groups "emerge"
This "lottery effect" is more evident in the age distribution. At first glance, the 55-64 age group has the highest gambling participation rate, reaching 54%. But a closer look reveals that this group includes a large number of mild lottery players.
Once the only lottery buyers are excluded, the true active player profile changes. The young and middle-aged groups aged 25-44 become the main force, with a participation rate of 36%, with a higher proportion of males (43%). Following the lottery, the most popular forms of gambling are sports betting and instant scratch tickets, both with a participation rate of 12%. Due to the second phase of the survey including major events like the "UK National Race," the participation rate in horse racing betting also rose from 4% in the first phase to 7%, which is an interesting seasonal fluctuation.
Online participation is stable with progress, "winning big" and "having fun" are the main reasons
The participation rate in online gambling also remains stable, at 38% over the past four weeks. Excluding pure lottery players, this rate is 17%. In online channels, purchasing national lottery e-tickets is the most popular item (participation by 25% of adults), followed by other lotteries (15%) and online sports and horse race betting (10%). The overall participation rate for offline gambling is 28%.
When asked about the reasons for participating in gambling, "the chance to win a large amount of money" and "because it's fun" remain the most common reasons given. The Gambling Commission specifically points out that for young players aged 18-24, "fun" is their most prominent motive for participation.
For more global gambling market data and in-depth analysis, follow the related industry reports on PASA's official website.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leader" gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
