Gambling Commission Survey on Gamblers

The Gambling Commission conducted a survey on gambling and here are the results of that research:

Respondents were asked in the survey: ‘In the past four weeks, have you spent money on any of the following…?’ The list of gambling activities was then read to them, with respondents able to give multiple responses.

All gambling participation (including by remote means)

• Over the year to March 2012 (that is, an average of figures for June 2011,

September 2011, December 2011 and March 2012), 58.1% of the 4,000 adults

surveyed said they had participated in at least one form of gambling in the previous

four weeks.

• This figure of 58.1% compares with the 2011 calendar year figure of 57.3%, the

2010 calendar year figure of 55.5% and the 2009 calendar year figure of 55.2%.

• The most popular gambling activity was National Lottery tickets (48.0% of

respondents), followed by National Lottery scratchcards (13.0%) and tickets for

society or other good cause lotteries (10.6%). Betting on horse races, gambling on

fruit or slot machines, and private betting with family, friends or colleagues were the

next most popular activities (4.3%, 3.4%, and 3.3% respectively).

• Those participating in gambling were more likely to be male than female, and were

more likely to be aged over 45.


Remote gambling participation

• Over the year to March 2012 (that is, an average of figures for June 2011,

September 2011, December 2011 and March 2012), 12.2% of the 4,000 adults

surveyed said they had participated in at least one form of remote gambling in the

previous four weeks*. Around half of these had participated just in National Lottery

products.

• This figure of 12.2% compares with the 2011 calendar year figure of 12.4%, the

2010 calendar year figure of 11.1%, the 2009 calendar year figure of 10.5%, the

2008 calendar year figure of 9.7%, the 2007 calendar year figure of 8.8% and the

2006 calendar year figure of 7.2%.

• The growth in participation in remote gambling is explained very largely by

increased online participation in the National Lottery. If those only playing National

Lottery products remotely are excluded, 5.4% of respondents had participated in

remote gambling in the year to March 2012, compared with the figure of 6.1% in

2011, 5.7% in 2010, 5.7% in 2009, 5.6% in 2008, 5.2% in 2007 and 5.1% in 2006.

• Overall, in the year to March 2012, 10.0% of respondents said they had remotely

purchased tickets for the National Lottery draw in the previous four weeks (either

only or in addition to other types of gambling activity).

• Those participating in remote gambling were more likely to be male than female,

and were more likely to be aged 18-44.

• Remote gambling via a computer, laptop or handheld device was most popular

(11.0% of all respondents), followed by gambling via mobile phone (2.5%) and

interactive/digital TV (1.0%)

* From March 2010 the remote gambling participation survey questions have been amended to ask respondents whether they have gambled in the ‘past four weeks’, as opposed to the ‘last month’ as in previous quarters. This was done to provide consistency with the all gambling participation questions.

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