UK

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.

The UK’s financial watchdog has ordered Revolut to pay back a problem gambler who accused the bank of refusing to shut down his account.

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) deemed that Revolut must pay £400 to a complainant, known as Mr H, who had informed the bank that he was experiencing problem gambling and using its services to convert cash into cryptocurrency for gambling purposes.

According to the ruling, Mr H contacted Revolut in June 2025 to tell the bank that he was experiencing mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts, as a result of gambling harms.

Revolut informed the customer that he could block gambling transactions, but the feature wouldn’t prevent crypto transactions.

Revolut also gives customers the option to block cryptocurrency transactions separately; however, there is no cooling-off period for the feature, meaning the customer was concerned that he was able to turn it back on instantly.

Similarly, the customer enquired if he could shut down his account. He was informed he could, but nothing was stopping him from reopening his account.

Consequently, he asked if Revolut could close his account down to solve the problem, as customers are unable to reopen an account with the bank if the firm has previously made the decision to end its services for that customer.

However, the bank failed to do so.

“I am at a loss as to why Revolut couldn’t take the decision itself to close Mr H’s account permanently when it has the ability to do this, and Mr H had requested that as a possible solution,” stated the ruling.

“It seems that despite explaining exactly what the issue was and what he needed, this fell on deaf ears. Instead of listening to Mr H and trying to get a full understanding of what the issue was and looking at all the options available to him, Mr H – an extremely vulnerable individual – was given unhelpful advice around options Mr H was already aware of and passed around to teams that couldn’t help.

“Mr H was vulnerable, in crisis, seeking help and took the brave step in making Revolut aware of this. But despite this, it failed to take proactive steps to provide him with the help he’d requested and was seemingly available and instead provided him with information about tools and features he was already aware of and failed to give him the attention he deserved.”

Although the FOS has no power to change a business’s working practices, the ombudsman expressed hope that Revolut will learn from the decision and provide appropriate support to individuals in a similar situation.

When reached out to for comment, Revolut told iGaming Expert that protecting its customers is its “highest priority”.

“We provide all our UK customers with a gambling block feature. When enabled, this tool automatically blocks card payments that are identified as being for gambling. We strongly encourage any customers with concerns about gambling to activate this feature in their app,” the bank’s spokesperson added.

“Revolut offers the option to disable the visibility of cryptocurrency tools for users who do not require them.”

Crypto under the spotlight

The FOS’s ruling once again places the role of cryptocurrency payments within gambling under the spotlight.

In the majority of mature gambling markets, including the UK, crypto payments remain prohibited. This means that they remain the preserve of the black market, which does not typically employ the same responsible gambling guardrails as licensed operators.

However, as the popularity of crypto continues to increase, especially among younger demographics, it is becoming increasingly clear that regulators like the UK Gambling Commission must confront the payment method.

Andrew Rhodes, the UK regulator’s CEO, previously described the “pressure building within the system” as players continue to embrace alternative payment methods.

“The reality is, in some years to come, there will probably be a significant cohort of consumers who use cryptocurrencies because that is what they’re accustomed to. It is a demographic shift that will find they have no place in the legitimate industry because of the currency they use,” stated Rhodes.

On a wider scale, the UK government is also seeking to align with the likes of the US and the EU by developing legislation for cryptoassets, and Rhodes emphasised that any changes made by the UKGC would be led by government-led decisions.

For now, though, the case against Revolut illustrates how shortcomings in the processes of banking establishments like Revolut can facilitate problematic gambling behaviours that thrive in the largely unprotected black market.

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced that the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) will temporarily keep the GambleAware website operating for at least a year.

The decision has been made in a bid to make sure support for those experiencing gambling harm continues while the transition to the new levy system takes place.

Supporting a smooth transition is a key priority, as the OHID will be the prevention commissioner under the new levy and will take ownership of the GambleAware website, noted the UKGC in an email newsletter.

Licencees were also encouraged by the commission to continue adhering to the Betting and Gaming Council–Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (BGC-IGRG) Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising.

The UKGC stated: “To support a smooth transition to the new levy system and ensure that those at risk of or who are experiencing gambling harms can continue to access tools and support, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) – as prevention commissioner under the levy – will take ownership of the GambleAware website.

“The OHID will keep the GambleAware website temporarily live when GambleAware ceases operations on 31 March 2026. This will be for a period of at least 12 months (until at least March 2027) as OHID intends to transition from the GambleAware website to a newly developed digital prevention offer, funded via the levy, in the future.”

Managed closure

GambleAware announced last July that it would be working towards a managed closure by the end of March 2026, remaining “committed to fulfilling existing commissioning agreements until the new system is in place by April 2026”.

Andy Boucher, Chair of Trustees at GambleAware, noted at the time: “Our main priority continues to be keeping people safe from gambling harm and to ensure stability and continuity for our beneficiaries as the new commissioners take over.

“The GambleAware website and critical prevention resources continue to provide accessible support for all.”

GambleAware is currently being led by Transition CEO Anna Hargrave, who was appointed to the position in August last year to oversee the day-to-day operations of the charity and lead on the managed closure of the organisation. Hargrave took over from former CEO Zoë Osmond, who had been the charity’s CEO since 2021.

When GambleAware announced its managed closure, Osmond called on the incoming commissioners – OHID, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as research commissioner and NHS England, and Scottish and Welsh Governments as treatment commissioner – to continue branching out and supporting its work.

“As our commissioning activity winds down, we urge NHS England, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, UK Research and Innovation, and the relevant authorities in Scotland and Wales to build on the infrastructure and insights of the current system as they assume their new roles.”

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.

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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.

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The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has announced that Michael Dugher will be stepping down as Chair with immediate effect, bringing an end to six years at the standards body for the regulated UK betting and gaming industry.

Dugher will be moving into a new role as Head of UK Public Affairs Practice at global advisory firm Brunswick Group. He had been the BGC’s Chair since April 2024 and before that he was the organisation’s founding Chief Executive for over four years.

The change atop the BGC comes following some of the most volatile years in UK gaming, at a time when Dugher led the BGC in rallying back against intense lobbying efforts and increased regulatory pressure.

Dugher, who is a former Labour MP for Barnsley East, played a central role in navigating the standards body through the UK government’s Gambling Act review and the publication of the gambling white paper in 2023.

In what was the most significant evolution in UK gambling since 2005, a much-feared outcome was avoided, which would have seen a full blackout on gambling advertising.

However, there was a tightening of online casino restrictions, specifically when it came to slot stake limits and promotions. Dugher led the BGC campaign warning against these types of restrictions, given that they would handicap the regulated industry against the black market.

The outgoing Chair commented on the work with his peers at the BGC over the past few years, stating he was “immensely proud” of what was achieved, thanking BGC members and current Chief Executive Grainne Hurst, as well as ministers, shadow ministers and officials at DCMS.

He also highlighted how “in an era when there is sadly so much ignorance and snobbery about betting – not helped, in my view, by the decline in the number of working-class people in Parliament – the BGC did a difficult job in navigating the industry through the previous Government’s gambling review”..

Dugher continued: “This resulted in a White Paper that, though not without its challenges, avoided many of the most draconian and disproportionate measures advocated by anti-gambling prohibitionists.

“By embracing change and positively engaging with Government and Parliamentarians, we made the case for an evidence-led approach to regulation and legislation that raised standards, protected jobs and growth as much as possible, and delivered historic deregulation and investment for Britain’s world-leading casino sector – all while keeping customers safe in the regulated industry.

“This approach is increasingly at risk today, given the very worrying growth in harmful gambling in the unregulated online black market.”

Hostility between the BGC and Parliament escalated last year during the debate around the Budget, as warnings from the BGC and UK gambling seemed to fall on deaf ears in Westminster.

The BGC failed to hit home with its message during the debate around taxation, as Remote Gaming Duty was raised from 21% to 40%.

Regulatory hostility hasn’t waned amidst the tax hikes, which many have warned will cripple the profitability of operators, as MPs have seemingly taken aim at High Street betting.

It means that whoever comes in to replace Dugher has little time to settle before they are fending off aggressive political rhetoric and potential negative headlines.

Guiding the industry

The BGC spotlighted that, under Dugher’s leadership, 20 new safer gambling codes containing 100 new standards were introduced and adopted by the standards body. Several charity initiatives, including the Britannia Stakes charity race at Royal Ascot and the Grand National Charity Bet, were also launched.

Hurst praised Dugher for his contribution and for bringing “clarity of purpose, a trusted standing with policymakers and regulators, and a steadfast commitment to championing a responsible, well-regulated betting and gaming industry”.

“Under his leadership, the BGC was firmly established as a credible standards body, uniting a diverse membership around stronger consumer protections and a shared determination to do the right thing, often going beyond regulatory requirements,” added Hurst.

“He guided the industry through the most significant regulatory reform in a generation, helping to deliver the Gambling White Paper and shape its implementation in a way that balances consumer protection with the realities of a major UK leisure industry enjoyed safely by millions each month. His leadership was also pivotal in securing long-overdue casino modernisation and proportionate regulation.

“On a personal note, it has been a genuine privilege to work alongside Michael. He leaves a proud and lasting legacy at the BGC, having strengthened standards, unified the industry and ensured it is well prepared for the challenges ahead.”

Industry praise

Dugher has received thanks from industry operators as well, with Ian Proctor, Chair of Flutter UK & Ireland, stating: “Michael worked tirelessly to help establish the BGC as a strong and authoritative body for the regulated industry.

“During a period of significant policy change, his experience and judgement were invaluable in supporting constructive engagement with Government and the regulator, including through the Gambling Act Review and the delivery of the White Paper.

“I would like to thank Michael for all his hard work and, on behalf of the wider industry, wish him every success in the future.”