🔗 Share this article

Approximately 1.4 million adults in Britain face a betting addiction, per landmark statistics published shortly after the finance minister hinted at boosting duties on the multi-billion pound industry.

Gambling Commission's Annual Study Results

The Gambling Commission’s annual survey discovered that 2.7% of grown-ups rated 8 or above on the betting issue measure, a commonly used measure evaluating negative consequences of gambling.

In earlier times, the watchdog had warned against extrapolating that figure to the overall populace. But, in a decision that puts the body on a collision course with the business it regulates, it has discarded this advice after review of the data by a analytics professional.

Countrywide Projections

That signifies the poll of more than 19,000 individuals can for the initial occasion be used to gauge the full count experiencing a gaming issue throughout the UK – a statistic of 1.4 m, or greater than the residents of a major UK city.

The study also identifies higher rates of betting issues in disadvantaged communities and in categories such as slot machines and in-play betting on sports.

Political Context

The authority’s evaluation was released on recently, days after the finance minister hinted at proposals to boost taxes on the business at the autumn budget. She told an event at the political meeting that there was a case for betting shops and online casinos “paying more”.

Gordon Brown has called for an increase of up to £3bn in taxes from gambling companies to finance the removal of the family allowance restriction. The ex-leader’s initiative aligns with requests from thinktanks like the research body and the thinktank.

Sector insiders foresee levies to rise, albeit by a lesser sum than the ex-PM proposes.

Economic Consequences

The updated figure of the extent of the issue is expected to influence the Treasury’s thinking about the financial advantages of an industry that contributes huge sums in duties and employs thousands of staff. Opponents argue betting impedes the market through punters spending about £11.5bn annually.

Survey Methodology

The 2.7% figure comes from the authority’s latest gambling survey of Great Britain (GSGB), which is now the watchdog’s selected gold standard. It replaces a poll that generated a significantly smaller 0.4% projection.

The industry group has frequently decided to overlook the GSGB in preference for using the much lower statistic from the previous study.

Oversight Statement

“This year’s findings improve our comprehension of effects from wagering and deliver crucial insight into danger factors among those who gamble regularly.

“We urge firms to use this evidence to evaluate the dangers within their own user groups.”