Older men gamble more, UK regulator seeks answers

The U.K. Gambling Commission published the third annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain on July 16 and called for further analysis after finding a rise in non-lottery gambling among men aged 55 and over. Annual participation in non-lottery gambling for that group increased from 27% in 2023 to 32% in 2025. Four-week participation also climbed, from 18% to 22%.

The survey showed the overall rate of problem gambling in Great Britain fell to 2.4% in 2025, down from 2.7% in 2024. The measure represents adults scoring at least eight on the Problem Gambling Severity Index and is equivalent to about 1.3 million people.

Age-group trends varied. Gambling participation among 18 to 24-year-olds declined to 48% in 2025 from 54% in 2023. The 35 to 44-year-old cohort had the highest participation in 2025 at 66%. Non-lottery participation among men aged 18 to 34 decreased from 54% to 51% between 2023 and 2025, while the 35 to 54 group edged down from 49% to 48%. Adults aged 65 to 74 also showed a smaller rise in non-lottery participation, from 25% to 29% annually, and four-week participation rose from 16% to 19%.

Patterns in help-seeking changed in some age groups. The share of 35 to 54-year-olds seeking help for their own gambling rose from 2.4% in 2023 to 3.8% in 2025. By contrast, the proportion of people aged 55 and over seeking support because of someone else’s gambling fell from 2.3% to 1.1%. Among women in that age group the figure declined from 2.9% to 1.2%. The commission highlighted a growing gap in treatment and support for women aged 55 and over and said it will investigate why fewer affected women are seeking support.

The survey’s methods have been challenged by industry and academic researchers. Dan Waugh of Regulus Partners and the University of Liverpool Management School disputed the accuracy of some GSGB estimates, citing differences between the survey’s user numbers and operator-reported customer counts. He noted the survey estimated between about 467,000 and 612,000 betting exchange users, while a leading exchange reports roughly 172,000 to 177,000 active customers. The survey’s estimate of participants for a pools operator was about 863,000, compared with the operator’s record of about 109,000 unique customers. Waugh also pointed to NHS health surveys that report problem gambling well below 1%.

The Gambling Commission defended its approach, citing an independent review and pilot testing completed before the first survey. The regulator said using the same data collection methods each year permits trend comparisons. It has called for more work to identify which gambling activities are driving the rise among older men and to examine the fall in support-seeking among older women.