UK Problem Gambling Falls to 2.4% but Older Men Gamble More

The UK problem gambling rate fell to 2.4% of adults in 2025, down from 2.7% in 2024, the first decline in the three-year history of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB). The Gambling Commission published the annual report in July 2026, and while the headline number improved, one group moved the other way: men aged 55 and over were the only demographic to record a statistically significant rise in gambling, climbing from 27% in 2023 to 32% in 2025 for non-lottery play.

The mixed picture has left the regulator looking for answers. Overall participation edged down and problem gambling eased, yet the survey exposed a widening gap between how younger and older adults gamble, and a worrying fall in the share of older women seeking help for someone else's gambling.

What did the GSGB 2025 annual report actually find?

The GSGB found that 2.4% of adults scored 8 or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) in 2025, the threshold the Gambling Commission uses to define problem gambling. That is down from 2.7% the year before and represents roughly 1.3 million adults in Great Britain. It is the first year-on-year fall since the GSGB replaced the old telephone and health-survey methods with a large push-to-web survey.

• Problem gambling (PGSI 8+): 2.4% in 2025, down from 2.7% in 2024 (Gambling Commission, GSGB).
• Moderate-risk gambling (PGSI 3 to 7): 3.5%, up from 3.1% in 2024.
• Low-risk gambling (PGSI 1 to 2): 7.8%, down from 8.8% in 2024.
• Any gambling in the past year: 59% of adults, down from 60% in 2024.

Why is problem gambling falling?

The Gambling Commission attributes the softer numbers to broadly stable overall engagement rather than any single intervention. In its own words, the regulator said consumer behaviour has held steady across the survey's life so far.

"Consumer engagement in gambling is stable over time, including the number of people who engage in gambling, the level of enjoyment people have when gambling and the number of people scoring 8 and over on the PGSI." Gambling Commission, GSGB 2025 annual report

Participation in the past four weeks slipped to 47% from 48%, and low-risk gambling fell more than a full percentage point. The rise in moderate-risk play, however, tempers the good news: it suggests some gamblers are moving up the risk scale even as the most severe category shrinks.

Why are men aged 55 and over gambling more?

Men aged 55 and over were the standout exception to the downward trend. Non-lottery participation in this group rose from 27% in 2023 to 32% in 2025, and past four-week participation climbed from 18% to 22%. It was the only demographic in the survey to show a statistically significant increase, which is why the Gambling Commission has flagged it for closer study.

The pattern extends into older age brackets. Among people aged 65 to 74, non-lottery gambling rose from 25% in 2023 to 29% in 2025, with past four-week play up from 16% to 19%. The survey does not pin down a single cause, but the data points to an ageing cohort that is increasingly comfortable gambling online.

How are younger adults behaving differently?

Younger adults are gambling less, reversing the usual assumption about who is most exposed. Participation among 18 to 24 year-olds fell to 48% in 2025 from 52% in 2024 and 54% in 2023, a steady three-year decline. The highest participation rate now sits with 35 to 44 year-olds at 66%.

That generational split matters for how operators and regulators target harm-prevention resources. The traditional focus on young men no longer maps neatly onto where participation is rising fastest.

What is happening with help-seeking?

The most concerning finding sits in the data on support. The share of adults aged 55 and over who sought help in relation to someone else's gambling fell from 2.3% in 2023 to just 1.1% in 2025. Among women aged 55 and over specifically, that figure dropped from 2.9% to 1.2%.

At the same time, help-seeking for a person's own gambling among 35 to 54 year-olds rose from 2.4% in 2023 to 3.8% in 2025. The divergence suggests that while some gamblers are more willing to seek support for themselves, the informal support networks around older gamblers, often partners and family, may be pulling back or going unrecorded.

How reliable is the GSGB methodology?

The GSGB is the Gambling Commission's official statistics series and now runs across multiple waves each year, making it the largest gambling participation survey in Great Britain. It uses a push-to-web design that reaches far more respondents than the legacy telephone surveys it replaced, which is why the Commission has cautioned against directly comparing GSGB figures with pre-2023 numbers.

The survey also produces estimates for niche activities. For betting exchanges, the GSGB's modelled range for the number of users sits between roughly 467,499 and 611,768 adults, a reminder that even small verticals now carry measurable participation.

How does this compare with previous years?

The table below sets out the headline movements across the survey's three annual reports.

Metric	2023	2024	2025
Problem gambling (PGSI 8+)	n/a	2.7%	2.4%
Moderate-risk (PGSI 3 to 7)	n/a	3.1%	3.5%
18 to 24 participation	54%	52%	48%
Men 55+ non-lottery play	27%	n/a	32%
55+ seeking help for others	2.3%	n/a	1.1%

What does this mean for operators?

For operators, the survey reshapes where responsible-gambling effort should land. The rise in older-male participation and the drop in older-female help-seeking point to a cohort that may be gambling more while receiving less informal oversight. Safer-gambling messaging built around younger audiences will miss the group whose participation is actually climbing.

The findings also feed directly into the wider policy debate in Westminster, where gambling sponsorship and advertising remain contested. A falling headline problem-gambling rate gives the industry a talking point, but the older-male trend hands campaigners a fresh line of argument.

What happens next?

The Gambling Commission has signalled it will examine the older-male increase in more detail, and future GSGB waves will show whether 2025 marks a genuine turning point or a single-year blip. With the survey now embedded as official statistics, its findings will increasingly frame licence conditions, advertising rules and the harm-reduction obligations placed on operators.

Updated July 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the UK problem gambling rate in 2025?

The problem gambling rate in Great Britain was 2.4% of adults in 2025, down from 2.7% in 2024, according to the Gambling Commission's Gambling Survey for Great Britain. That is roughly 1.3 million adults scoring 8 or more on the PGSI.

Which group is gambling more in the UK?

Men aged 55 and over were the only group to show a statistically significant increase, with non-lottery participation rising from 27% in 2023 to 32% in 2025. People aged 65 to 74 also gambled more.

What is the PGSI?

The Problem Gambling Severity Index is a screening tool. A score of 8 or more indicates problem gambling, 3 to 7 indicates moderate risk, and 1 to 2 indicates low risk. The Gambling Commission uses it in the GSGB.

Is the GSGB comparable to older UK gambling surveys?

Not directly. The Gambling Commission warns that the GSGB's push-to-web method differs from the legacy telephone and health surveys, so figures should not be compared one-to-one with data from before 2023.

This is trade news for readers aged 18 and over. If gambling is affecting you or someone you know, support is available through GambleAware and the National Gambling Helpline.