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UKGC Survey: UK's Problem Gambling Drops to 0.3%
By Jeff Osienya Oct 27, 2021 IndustryA quarterly survey of the rate of participation and problem gambling in the UK shows that the region’s prevalence of problem gambling has gone down to just 0.3%. The BGC has reiterated its resolve to continue maintaining its safe gambling duties.The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published its quarterly statistics on participation and problem gambling for the first three quarters of 2021 (January to September), citing a significant reduction in the rate of problem gambling. Compared to a year ago, in September 2020, problem gambling prevalence has reduced from 0.6% to 0.3%. This means that the UK’s rate of problem gambling is down by 50% year-over-year.
The Q3 2021 study was conducted via phone by Yonder Consulting last month, based on a nationwide sample size of 4,009 participants aged 16 and above. Like all quarterly editions of UKGC’s research ventures conducted since 2019, respondents of this September survey were classified as problem gamblers according to the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). It’s worth noting that the minimum age for gambling on National Lottery games was increased from 16 to 18 years old, starting October 1st, 2021.
After the UKGC published the findings of the September survey, Michael Dugher, the Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), UK’s trade body for the gambling industry, welcomed the results in an official press briefing. He pointed out that the reduction in problem gambling directly resulted from the gambling sector’s measures to promote safer gambling. He said:
Quote“Since being established in 2019, we have worked tirelessly to drive up standards in the regulated betting and gaming industry and promote safer gambling. Our initiatives have included using advertising to promote safer gambling tools like deposit limits and time-outs, investing more in research and treatment, funding an education programme provided by GamCare and YGAM, implementing the credit card ban and introducing tough new rules on VIP schemes, and changes game design, as well as using technology to intervene with customers online.”
Diving Deep into the Numbers of UK’s Problem Gambling September Survey
Based on data published by the UK Gambling Commission, the highest reduction in the rate of problem gambling is among males. Their rate was initially 0.8%, but it has now reduced to just 0.3%. Further, the survey indicates that the volume of at-risk gamblers in Great Britain has gone down from 4% in September last year to 2.9% as of September 2021.
Meanwhile, the number of individuals considered to be at moderate risk of problem gambling has also significantly reduced year-on-year from 1.2% to 0.7%. And as for the percentage of the population deemed at low risk of gambling harm, there wasn’t any notable change compared to the same period a year ago.
With the overall problem gambling rate decreased to 0.3%, a steep drop in was seen in problem gamblers aged 16 to 24 years old, from 0.8% to 0.4%. However, the most significant reduction in the rate of problem gamblers was recorded in the 25- to 32-year-old age group, where the rate went down from 1% to 0.3%.
Of all the gamblers interviewed in the telephone survey, 42% said they had gambled within a month before the research study. This is nearly 5% less than the 46.7% portion of individuals who reported the same in last year’s interviews. Additionally, 28.3% of the people who gambled also admitted to having taken part in gambling within a week before the survey. On the flip side, 18% of the respondents who gambled within a month prior to September’s survey said they don’t gamble regularly, placing less than one wager per month.
UKGC’s survey also revealed that the rate of retail gambling has gone down substantially in favor of internet-based gambling. The number of in-person gamblers in the UK reduced from 28.6% to 23.9% year-on-year, representing a 4.7% decline. On the other side of the coin, the volume of online gamblers has jumped by 7.3%, from 17.7% in September 2020 to 25% last month.
As for gambling preferences, the UK National Lottery continues to dominate all other gambling options as a favorite among the Brits, commanding a 26.5% market share based on the September survey. Furthermore, of the sample size, 12.8% prefer playing with the UK National Lottery competitors, whereas 7.8% are more into putting their money on scratchcards. Finally, sports bettors and slot machine gamblers rounded up the top five favorite gambling outlets in the UK, with 5.6% and 3.4%, respectively.
Overregulation Could Push Gamblers to the Black-Market
As encouraging as these numbers may be, the BGC Chief Executive emphasized the industry’s resolve to take the figures further down. Still, Mike Dugher mentioned that the solution to this isn’t following a prohibitionist approach but rather an evidence-based one as millions of UK residents enjoy gambling responsibly. He said:
Quote“One problem gambler is one too many, however, and we are determined to keep up the momentum in the months and years ahead. There will always be those in the anti-gambling lobby who take a prohibitionist approach. But, in contrast, the government has rightly and consistently said it will adopt an ‘evidence-led’ approach to its gambling review. We always need to do more to provide greater protection to the tiny minority of people who are vulnerable to problem gambling, whilst recognising that the overwhelming majority of millions of people who enjoy a flutter do so safely and responsibly.”
As part of his parting shots, the BGC Chief Executive also warned that the UK government should be careful not to introduce regulations that could end up scaring gamblers into unregulated markets. He added that:
Quote“As we continue to make progress on problem gambling and drive ever higher standards on safer gambling in the regulated sector, it’s vital we don’t do anything that drives people to the unsafe, unregulated black market online, which has none of the protections or safer gambling interventions that we see with licensed operators.”
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