The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published findings indicating that nearly one in 11 adults in Great Britain was negatively impacted by another person’s gambling activities in 2024. This analysis, derived from the 2024 Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), highlights significant concerns from both a public health and regulatory standpoint. The data, released on Thursday, was collected from a study involving 19,714 adults, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of gambling’s broader societal effects.
The GSGB findings reveal that 48% of respondents knew someone who gambled, and 9%—equating to approximately 1.6 million individuals—experienced adverse effects due to another’s gambling behavior within the previous year. Significant impacts were noted, with 5.3% of those affected experiencing severe harm, such as relationship breakdowns or financial loss, and 19% reporting at least one potential adverse consequence.
Demographics and Gambling Patterns
The data indicates a demographic skew among those affected by others’ gambling. Affected individuals are predominantly younger and female, with 55% of them being women and 46% aged between 25 and 44 years. This group also showed a higher propensity for participation in higher-risk gambling activities, such as in-person sports betting and casino games, with their participation rates nearly 3.7 times higher than those of other gamblers.
Among affected individuals who themselves gamble, 21.5% scored within the problem gambling range on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), which is markedly higher than the 4.5% observed among all gamblers. This suggests a correlation between being affected by others’ gambling and engaging in problematic gambling behaviors themselves.
Types of Harms Experienced
Health-related consequences were the most commonly reported impacts, with 73.7% of affected individuals experiencing such harms. Common health issues included stress and anxiety (experienced by 57.9%), alongside shame or embarrassment (52%) and increased family conflict (45.4%). In more severe cases, 26.6% reported significant harm, such as relationship breakdowns or financial ruin, with some incidents escalating to violence or criminal behavior.
Financial strain was also a notable outcome, with 42.5% of affected individuals experiencing resource-related difficulties. Charities such as GamCare have witnessed an increase in service use, with 1,954 individuals seeking financial advice in 2025, more than doubling the number from the previous year.
Limited Recourse to Support
Despite the widespread nature of these harms, a mere 14.5% of those affected by another’s gambling sought professional help over the past year. Those who were themselves gamblers were more likely to seek support (18.3%) compared to non-gamblers (7.7%), accessing services ranging from mental health counseling to financial advice.
Future Research and Government Initiatives
The UKGC intends to extend this research with further qualitative studies to better understand the compounded effects of gambling-related harms on different social and family dynamics. The aim is to refine the focus beyond the PGSI framework, exploring the diverse experiences of those affected by others’ gambling.
In response to these findings, the UK government has announced a £25.4 million allocation to enhance gambling-harm prevention services. The Department of Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) states that this funding will underpin strategies to prevent and mitigate gambling-related harm across the country.
Moving forward, the implementation and effectiveness of these strategies will be closely monitored, with further regulatory reviews anticipated to ensure the robustness of gambling harm mitigation efforts in the UK.
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