Gambling Commission GSGB: Under 35s more likely to suffer ‘severe’ consequences from gambling
Summary
The Gambling Commission’s second annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) finds younger adults (18–34) are far more likely to report ‘severe’ consequences from their own gambling than older adults. Based on responses from 19,714 people about behaviour in 2024, the survey uses the PGSI to measure harm and shows notable differences by age and gender, low levels of help-seeking, and continued popularity of the National Lottery.
Key Points
- 5.3% of 18–34-year-olds reported experiencing a severe consequence from gambling in the past 12 months, versus 0.8% of those aged 55+.
- PGSI breakdown: 8.8% scored 1–2 (low risk), 3.1% scored 3–7 (moderate risk), and 2.7% scored 8+ (problem gambling), similar to last year.
- Men who gambled in the past 12 months were more likely to report at least one severe consequence than women (3.5% vs 1.7%).
- 12.2% of respondents reported suicidal thoughts or attempts in the past year; 5.2% of those said it was related to gambling.
- Gambling participation: 48% of adults gambled in the last four weeks (28% when excluding lottery-only players); the National Lottery remains the most popular product (31%).
- Online play (38%) was higher than in-person (29%), though excluding lottery, online play was 16% and in-person 18%.
- Help-seeking is low: only 3.4% of those who gambled in the past year sought support for their own gambling.
- The most commonly reported severe consequence was relationship breakdown (1.6%).
Content summary
The GSGB deepens the evidence base on gambling behaviour and harms across Great Britain. Younger adults show disproportionately high rates of severe adverse outcomes. Overall participation remains steady compared with the previous edition of the survey, with lottery play driving headline participation figures. The survey also highlights worrying links between gambling and suicidal ideation for a subset of respondents, and persistent low levels of people accessing dedicated gambling support or related services.
Context and relevance
This matters to operators, regulators and support services. The GSGB provides up-to-date risk profiles that the Gambling Commission says should inform operator practices and regulatory focus as player protection measures from the Gambling Act review are implemented. For public-health and compliance teams, the age skew and low help-seeking rates are signals to target interventions and outreach more effectively.
Why should I read this?
Look — if you work in gambling, regulation, healthcare or player protection, this is worth five minutes. It flags who’s most at risk (younger adults), shows help-seeking is tiny, and gives clear stats you can use to sharpen policy, product design or support campaigns. We’ve done the digging so you know the headline risks without ploughing through the full report.
