A new survey released by the UK Gambling Commission found a slight uptick in the number of respondents who said they had gambled in some form in the last year to 46 percent in 20118.
That’s up from 45 percent in 2017.
The telephone survey is titled Gambling Participation in 2018: Behavior, Awareness and Attitudes and was carried out by market research company Populus.
The survey noted a four percent increase in mobile betting with 55 percent of respondents saying they had placed bets online. Also, online betting on grew by 10 percent to 55 percent from 2017.
The national lottery, however, remained the most popular form of gambling in the UK followed by scratch cards and other lotteries.
The report also noted that lottery players said they played in the hopes of winning (53 percent) rather than just for fun (20 percent). Conversely, 58 percent of players for fixed odds betting terminals said they played for fun with 32 percent said they played in hopes of winning.
“Of those who brought tickets for a charity lottery or other lottery, 55 percent reported gambling to support good causes. This compares to 15 percent who brought tickets for the National Lottery draws, and 5 percent of those who purchased scratch cards,” the report said.
“A key factor that influences where someone gambles is a company with a reputation for being fair and trustworthy,” the commission said in a press release. “Consequently, responsible gambling companies that deliver great customer service will be at an increasingly competitive advantage.
“As the regulator, trust, safety and fairness are vital to us and we want everyone to focus on how we can make gambling fairer and safer for all,” the release said. “This includes operators, charities, researchers and treatment providers who have a role in working with us to build a stronger culture of innovation and evaluation to benefit consumers and reduce harm.”
The survey comes as the UK Minister of for Sports & Civil Society Mims Davies has called for an end to under 18 purchases of lottery products. Such products can now be purchased by anyone over 16 years of age.
Davies said in a recent interview that the government wants to make it clear to the gambling industry, consumers and merchants that “gambling starts at the age of 18.”
The UK Gambling Commission has also formally launched a study on the use of credit in gambling and has called for submissions from the industry and interested parties. The commission is reportedly considering banning the use of credit cards with online and live bookmakers.
Meanwhile, a similar gambling report for Ireland found that about two thirds of the population had gambled in some form in the last year. Again, the most popular form of gambling was the national lottery and scratch cards.
New gambling regulations under a proposed gambling bill for Ireland have been stalled in the Irish Parliament since first being introduced in 2013.
In another matter, GamCare, the UK’s leading advocate for problem gamblers, has announced it is planning to make available a number of computer programs to provide intervention and help problem gamblers playing online.
They include a digital screening for problem gambling using a validated screening tool such as PGSI, as well as intervention modules of up to 15 minutes which will be recommended based on the outcome of screening. The group also would be able to monitor individual characteristics, progress, attrition, outcomes and follow ups for all participants in the program.
“Offering our service users a range of effective and flexible treatment options, including digital interventions to suit them, will mean that we are able to reach more people affected by problem gambling,” said Anna Hemmings, GamCare CEO in a press release.
