National Health Service’s Survey Reveals the Number of Problems Gamblers in England

As far as the National Health Service’s (NHS) Health Survey for England study claims, more than a half of over-16s in England participated in gambling activities in 2018. Out of that number, around 0.4% of consumers were identified as problem gamblers.

Even though the survey didn’t provide the precise number of those who were engaged in such activities online, they came up with some predictions. The respondents were classified not only by age groups but by their sexes as well.

More than half of The Participants Gambled

A total of 5,719 adults took part in the survey, and out of that number, 53% confirmed they were involved in some form of gambling activities during 2018.

If the National Lottery is excluded…

… the figure falls to 39%. Even though the survey did not provide the overall number of individuals who gambled in online establishments, the results implied that 15% of England’s male adult population, as well as 4% of women did so.

Stats by Age Groups and Sexes

As for the age group where the activity was most dominant, those are individuals between 45-54, with 59% of the cohort gambling.

Gambling was least common in those aged 16-24…

…with 38% of the overall number of questioned confirming they have gambled. This is still a shocking number, and the industry is putting plenty of effort to minimize the number of minors who are exposed to either ads or have access to online venues.

The most common age group for male gamblers were those between 25-34. To be precise, 64% of respondents itted they took part in gambling, while 44% of those aged 16-24 gambled. As for the female population, the 45-54 and 55-64 age groups were the t most likely to gamble, at 57%, while only 32% of those aged 16-24 gambled.

Identifying Risk Gamblers

Using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), the NHS evaluated that 0.4% of respondents met the criteria to be identified as problem gamblers.

The PGSI consists of nine areas such as “chasing losses,” “gambling causing health problems” and “feeling guilty about gambling.” The participants in the survey marked each area from 0, representing “never,” to 3, representing “almost always”. A score of 8 or more classifies a person as the one with problems.

A further 3.2% of respondents were identified as at-risk gamblers…

…scoring between 1 and 7 on the PGSI. This means 3.6% of participants were confirmed as either problem gamblers or at risk. Men were more likely to be classified as problem or at-risk gamblers, with 6% of men. The stats for women are a bit more positive, with 2% of them being identified as either problem or at risk.

Source:

“NHS survey more than half of English adults gambled in 2018”, igamingbusiness.com, December 3, 2019.