Steve Hoare

The latest NHS statistics into gambling prevalence state that problem gambling rates in England remain stable, as authorities require a better understood public health view of gambling harm impacts across communities.

Data from the NHS Health Survey for England 2024 (HSE 2024) put the number of UK adults at risk of some form of problem gambling at 5%, with under 1% classed as suffering from problem gambling.

As with most surveys into British gambling preferences and gambling related harm, the study – which only looks at England and not the other three nations of the UK – maintains the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) as the primary methodology to measure gambling harm rates.

The PGSI has been used as the main indicator of gambling harm since 2016 when it was adopted by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) as a replacement for DSM-IV, the model which had been used since the 1990s.

Anyone with a PGSI score of eight or more, based on their answers to survey questions, is considered a problem gambler. Scores of between one and two indicate low risk and between three and seven indicate moderate risk.

Stable rates don’t tell full story

According to the 2024 survey, of the 5% of adults with a score of one or more the number classed as encountering problem gambling was 1% in 2024, suggesting a somewhat stable rate with previous survey estimates.

This does suggest an increase from some previous NHS surveys. A 2021 survey, for example, put the problem gambling rate at 0.3% – a period in which Survey participation and response was impacted by COVID-19 adjustments.

However, it does show a significant disparity with UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) data, also derived from the PGSI as discussed above. Stats from Year Two of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), published in October 2025, put the rate at 2.7%.

After problem gamblers, HSE 2024 put the number of people across England at low-risk of gambling harm at 3%, while the number of people at moderate risk of gambling harm stands at 1%. Nationwide, the 5% figure has been translated to account for between 4.2% and 5.8% of the population.

Overall, as the summary of the NHS survey states, rates of problem gambling from low to severe remain relatively stable in England. However, this will not excuse the betting sector from political scrutiny, with a number of policymakers vocally calling for gambling to be viewed as a public health issue in 2025.

The survey has taken note of the reforms introduced by the Gambling Act review, with the White Paper published back in April 2023. It adds, though, that despite these reforms the UK hosts ‘one of the most accessible gambling markets in the world’.

“Opportunities to gamble exist on most high streets and, with access to the internet, in virtually every home,” the survey said. “Concerns regarding the harms associated with gambling have been increasing in the UK in recent years and gambling is viewed as a public health issue.”

Men are the outlier of risks

The NHS survey also provided some insights into the regional and demographic contrasts relating to gambling harm across England. Firstly, on a gender basis, men saw a higher PGSI score than women.

Overall, 7% of English men scored one or more on the PGSI score, and 1% were considered problem gamblers. In comparison, only 3% of women scored one or more and the number of problem gamblers was rounded down to 0% in datasets – though it is likely higher than this given margins of error.

Perhaps most significant, however, are the regional disparities, with problem gambling and overall risk of gambling harm more likely in northern England and in coastal regions, these also being areas more likely to see higher rates of social deprivation.

The Yorkshire and the Humber region of Northern England had the highest rate of people with a score of one or more at 7%, followed by the North East, South East and South West at 6%, London at 5%, the North West, East of England and West Midlands at 4%, and finally the East Midlands at 3%.

This could prove significant in the context of both the calls for gambling to be viewed as a public health issue and for more powers to be given to local councils. Dawn Butler, Labour MP for Brent East, has been particularly vocal in calling for the latter, with a number of MPs and councillors joining her push for the ‘Aim to Permit’ rule around licensing to be scrapped.

Focus on levy application

Meanwhile, proponents of the gambling as a public health argument, which received backing from members of the Health and Social Care Select Committee last year, have often argued that approaches to problem gambling need to be contextualised to regional requirements.

While the NHS’ latest datasets do show that problem gambling rates remain overall stable, and are much lower than issues like alcohol abuse, tobacco and e-cigarette smoking, and obesity, concerns remain that will continue to fuel political and regulatory debate around this industry.

The NHS’ role in gambling harm research, education and treatment (RET) will only grow from here on out. The service is taking on more gambling harm treatment duties by becoming the main commissioner of projects in this area as overseer of the RET levy, taking over from GambleAware.

Tim Miller, the UK’s top man when it comes to regulating gambling, took a sharp stance against tech firm Meta.

Addressing an audience of gambling stakeholders at ICE Barcelona, the UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) Executive Director chose a single question to be the basis for his whole speech. This question was “whose side are you on?”.

The extended version of this sounds more like ‘whose side are you on in the fight against the black market’, and Miller was clear that he thinks Meta – the owner of Facebook and Instagram – has blurred the lines.

Not Meta’s first rodeo

This is not the first time Meta has found itself on the opposite side of conversations about ethics and transparency, certainly not from a gambling perspective.

In July last year, campaigners from a UK-based NGO raised concerns about the tech platform’s policies on flagging safer gambling messages as more risky than gambling adverts themselves – which, as a result, leads to gambling marketing enjoying more visibility.

Miller’s speech took this argument one step further, focusing on the amount of black market advertising found on Meta’s platforms, and particularly those tailored to promote “non-GamStop” casinos – with GamStop being the UK’s national self-exclusion registry.

Such adverts are easily trackable even by regular Meta users, Miller added, thanks to a publicly available marketing database that allows for direct searches through keywords.

Yet, such ads keep appearing on two of the biggest social media platforms, which Miller criticised by saying: “If we can find them, then so can Meta: they simply choose not to look.”

“It could leave you with the impression that they are quite happy to turn a blind eye and continue taking money from criminals and scammers until someone shouts about it. So it does leave Meta with the question of ‘Whose side are you on?’

“The consumers and users of your platforms, many of whom are seeking to escape gambling harm, or the criminals and con artists who are using your platforms to prey on vulnerable people right in front of your eyes and whose clutches you risk pushing those vulnerable people into?”

2026 will be a year of action

Besides this heavily charged criticism against Meta, the UKGC Director also hinted at tightening the scrutiny over licensed game suppliers whose products are also found on offshore websites – albeit this time around Miller was a bit softer in his critique, explaining that “pulling the legal action lever” will not always be practical or possible.

In conclusion, the speech ended on a positive note, reminding attendees of the £26m in UKGC funding set aside by the last UK Budget to fuel the fight against the black market over the next three years.

Finally, Miller also highlighted that the UKGC is expecting another major milestone this year, with the Crime and Policing Bill currently being reviewed in the House of Lords. If and when enacted, this law will give the UK regulator autonomous IP blocking powers, alleviating it from its current reliance on Google.

A new Interim Chair has been appointed for the Industry Forum of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). The regulator has named Kirsty Caldwell as its choice for a temporary hire while the recruitment drive is underway for a permanent replacement of Nick Rust, who ended his term in November 2025. Caldwell is currently running Betsmart Consulting, which offers compliance and AML services…

GambleAware has recorded a landmark achievement with its three-year problem gambling awareness campaign reaching a 90% success rate.

The ‘Let’s Open Up About Gambling’ initiative was first launched back in April 2023 with the goal of lowering the stigma associated with gambling disorders. The campaign ran up until May 2025, and according to a GambleAware-commissioned report by Ipsos UK, it has proved notably successful.

Estimates produced by Ipsos put the percentage of the campaign’s effectiveness at over 90%, with almost all targeted individuals confirming that they’ve taken action after seeing the adverts, including seeking GambleAware’s online services for more advice.

This means that problem gambling education has been inadvertently increased to various degrees among over 90% of participants. Additionally, two in five of the target audience have said that they’ve been prompted to talk about gambling as a result of the campaign.

Not only that, GambleAware also tied the length of the campaign’s duration with an increase in the uptake of support and digital tools on its website.

In its report, Ipsos concluded that GambleAware’s strategy to utilise real stories of people with lived experiences has played a major role in the campaign’s success, and recommended that similar initiatives in the future should take the same approach to build trust through compassion.

This recommendation will mainly refer to the NHS starting April, as the health body replaces GambleAware as the Chief Commissioner of Research, Prevention and Treatment (RET) of gambling harms as part of the UK’s new statutory levy – with the charity officially closing on 31 March.

Gambling ads still a problem, GambleAware says

In addition to lauding the campaign’s success, GambleAware leadership remained adamant that gambling marketing spent in the UK should either be reduced or matched with safer gambling messaging.

Emma Munro-Faure, GambleAware Director of Marketing, said: “We’re proud that this campaign helped thousands of people to seek support for gambling harms.

“But stigma remains a major barrier, and with gambling companies spending £2bn a year on advertising, we need stronger restrictions and clearer signposting to the free help and support available.”

The £2bn figure cited by Munro-Faure is based on a 2025 report by The Guardian, which was published days prior to the 26 November UK Budget announcement that raised the Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) from 21% to 40%.

Raising taxes for the gambling industry caused numerous heated debates throughout last year, with proponents deeming the sector a social health concern that should be put on par with alcohol and tobacco, while gambling stakeholders pointed to the long list of taxes that the gambling industry was already being subjected to.

Regardless, results were divisive, with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves increasing the RGD and the General Betting Duty (15% to 25%), sparing horse racing from any tax hikes, and abolishing the bingo duty completely – setting the foundations for a different UK gambling market in 2026.