GAMBLING STATISTICS UK

GAMBLING STATISTICS UK

There are many games included in online gambling, from Horse Betting for events such as the Grand National to table games, for example, Poker and Blackjack, to playing the National Lottery. We looked at the gambling statistics for the UK published in late 2020. This article covers how Brits are spending their money on gambling and if we are gambling responsibly or not.

GAMBLING STATISTICS FOR THE UK – THE NUMBERS

WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE UK GAMBLES?

According to industry statistics published by the gambling commission, 47% of British people have gambled in the last 4 weeks, slightly increasing from the year before at 46%. More males than females are gambling, equaling just over half of all men (51%) than the 41% of females who have gambled in the last 4 weeks. For many Brits (20%), they say they gamble at least twice a week.

HOW MUCH ARE WE SPENDING ON GAMBLING?

On average, the population are spending £2.60 per week on gambling according to recent gambling statistics in the UK. The highest 10% of earners spend the most, coming out at £4.20 per week on average. On the other hand, the lowest percentile spends the least at £1.50 per week on average.

WHAT ARE WE TAKING THE GAMBLE ON?

The most popular type of gambling in the UK is the National Lottery, with 30% of Brits taking part. Started back in 1994, the National Lottery has been a big part of British culture ever since. Scratchcards are also very popular, with nearly 10% (9.9%) of Brits taking playing.

THE GAMBLING INDUSTRY

In total, the gambling industry is worth £14.3 billion and employs 98,174 people across the UK as of September 2019. Meanwhile, This number is down from £14.5 billion and 106,000 employees in March of the same year. This change is drove by more gambling taking place online than on-premises.
As stated in recent gambling statistics for the UK, online casinos made £3,190 million in total gross gambling earnings from October 2018 to September 2019, Therefore, making it the most popular gambling method.

GAMBLING DEBT AND ADDICTION

While gambling can be a source of fun entertainment, it can also cause serious money problems, addiction and debt.

• 0.5% of the UK’s adult population are problem gamblers.
• 15% of online gamblers have been gambling in the workplace in the past four weeks.
• 3.1% of gamblers have bet more than they can afford to lose.
• Gambling addiction is estimated to cost the UK between £260 million and £1.2 billion per year.
• 7% of gamblers said they did so as a way to “earn money to get by day-to-day”.

SOURCES

• Office of National Statistics
• Gambling Commission