Gambling (National Survey for Wales): April 2022 to March 2023

In 2022-23, the National Survey asked people about their gambling activities and behaviours within the last 12 months. The results presented in this report cover the period April 2022 to March 2023. Survey respondents were aged 18 and over.

The different breakdowns highlighted in this report each have an independent link with gambling even after a range of other factors is taken into account. As with all analysis of this kind, while we discuss associations between different factors we are unable to attribute cause and effect for these associations, or to take account of factors not measured in the survey. See Quality information.

In 2022-23:

• 63% of people said they took part in some form of gambling in the last 12 months
• 24% of people said they took part in some form of non-lottery or scratchcard gambling in the last 12 months

People were asked whether they took part in 19 different gambling activities, sorted into 8 groups. The percentage of people taking part in each group of activities is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Percentage of individuals taking part in gambling activities (grouped), 2022-23

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Description of Figure 1: Bar chart showing the percentage of people that said they took part in 8 groups of gambling activities, plus an additional bar showing those who did not take part in any kind of gambling in the last 12 months. Lotteries and scratchcards were overwhelmingly the most common type of gambling activity, with 58% of people doing these, compared with 11% for online betting and 11% for bingo machine or table games. 37% of people said they did not gamble.

Source: National Survey for Wales 2022-23

The majority of people who gamble only do so with lotteries or scratchcards. 39% of people in Wales had only gambled using lotteries or scratchcards within the last 12 months, compared with 24% of people who had gambled in other ways. 

The gambling activities that make up the group ‘lotteries and scratchcards’ consist of: 

• buying tickets for the National Lottery draw
• buying scratchcards
• buying tickets for any other lottery

Of these 3 activities, buying National Lottery tickets was the most common, with almost half of people in Wales having done this. 

Figure 2: Percentage of individuals taking part in gambling activities within ‘lotteries and scratchcards’, 2022-23

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Description of Figure 2: Bar chart showing the percentage of people taking part in the individual gambling behaviours that make up the ‘lotteries and scratchcards’ group in Figure 1. Buying tickets for the National Lottery was the most common gambling activity, with almost half of all interviewed people having done so in the last 12 months. Buying scratchcards was a less common activity, and buying tickets for any other lottery was a less likely again.

Source: National Survey for Wales 2022-23

In-depth analysis was carried out to investigate the links between gambling (both including and excluding lotteries and scratchcards) and a variety of demographic and geographic factors. As with all analysis of this type, we are unable to attribute cause and effect for these associations, or to take account of factors not measured in the survey. See Quality information for more details.

All forms of gambling including lotteries and scratchcards

While controlling for links with other factors the following factors were independently associated with having undertaken a gambling activity (including lotteries and scratchcards) in the last 12 months.

Age was found to be a linked factor, with 70% of people aged between 45 to 64 having gambled, above the national average of 64%. People aged 65+ were less likely to have gambled in the last 12 months, with 55%. Those aged between 18 to 44 showed no difference compared with the national average, with 64% of that age group having gambled.

Ethnicity was also found to be linked with gambling. 65% of people identifying as ‘White (Welsh, English, Scottish or Northern Irish)’ had gambled in the last 12 months, with no difference when compared with the national average.  People identifying as ‘White (Irish, Gypsy, Irish Traveler or another white background)’ were less likely to have gambled in the last 12 months compared with the national average, with 50% of this ethnic group having done so. Similarly, those who identified as part of the ‘Black, Asian or minority ethnic group’ were also less likely to have gambled compared with the national average, with 32% of the group doing so. Due to high uncertainties, however, no significant difference can be identified between the two above ethnic groups when compared with each other regarding gambling. 

39% of people who do not personally use the internet had taken part in any form of gambling in the last 12 months, a lower proportion than people who do use the internet and had gambled (65%).

Economic status was also found to be a linked factor. People in employment were more likely to gamble compared with the national average, with 69% of employed people having gambled in the last 12 months. People who were economically inactive were less likely than the national average to have gambled, with 57% of this group having gambled. No differences were apparent in gambling patterns for unemployed people compared with the other groups or the national average.

Sexual orientation was found to be linked with gambling likelihood, however no significant differences could be found within the data.

Sex, having a limiting long-term illness, marital status, and religious beliefs were not found to be independently linked with having gambled in the last 12 months.

Gambling excluding lotteries and scratchcards

Due to the majority of gamblers having only purchased lotteries and scratchcards (with only 24% of people having done some other form of gambling in the last 12 months), the analysis was repeated for gamblers who had done some form of gambling besides buying lottery tickets or scratchcards in the last 12 months.

While controlling for links with other factors, the following factors were independently associated with undertaking a non-lottery, non-scratchcard gambling activity in the last 12 months.

Age was once again a linked factor, however the trend of the results differs from that in the previous section. People aged between 18 to 44 were the most likely to have gambled in the last 12 months, with 33% of the group having gambled in the last 12 months. This is higher than the national average of 24%, as well as higher than for people aged 45 to 64 (22%) and people aged 65+ (11%). People aged 65+ were also less likely to gamble than the national average.

Ethnicity was also, again, found to be linked with non-lottery, non-scratchcard gambling. 26% of those identifying as White ‘(Welsh, English, Scottish or Northern Irish)’ had done gambling other than lotteries or scratchcards. Similar to above, people who identified as ‘White (Irish, Gypsy, Irish Traveller or another white background)’ were less likely to have gambled when compared with the national average, with 5% of the group having done so. People identifying as ‘Black, Asian or minority ethnic’ were also less likely to have gambled compared with the national average, with 8% of the group having done so. No significant differences could be identified between the gambling rates of these two groups, but the rates for both groups were below the national average.

Economic status was also independently linked to non-lottery, non-scratchcard gambling, and follows the same trends as found in all gambling. Those in employment were more likely to have gambled when compared with the national average, with 30% doing so. 15% of economically inactive people had gambled in the past 12 months, less than both employed people and the national average.

Sex was found to be a linked factor, however no significant differences could be identified when comparing males and females with each other, or with the national average.

When lottery tickets and scratchcards are excluded, internet use, sexual orientation, having a long-term illness, marital status and religious beliefs were not found to be independently linked to gambling excluding lotteries/scratchcards within the last 12 months.

The results from all people who had gambled in the last 12 months (including lotteries or scratchcards) were assessed using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) (Gambling Commission) to identity whether they showed any gambling behaviours that can lead to adverse consequences. Scores in the PGSI range from 0 to 27, which are grouped into 4 categories:

• 0: no problem behaviours or risks
• 1 to 2: low risk gambling
• 3 to 7: medium risk gambling
• 8+: high risk gambling

The likelihood of a person experiencing adverse consequences from their gambling increases with their PGSI score.

For people who gambled, the average PSGI score was 0.28, with 10% of people having a PSGI score of 1 or more. Further breakdowns are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Percentages of individuals identified as ‘at risk’ using the Problem Severity Gambling Index categories of gambling risk, 2022-23 

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Description of Figure 3: Bar chart showing the frequency of people who gambled having problematic gambling behaviours, grouped by PSGI score. 90% of gamblers scored 0 points on the PSGI. Percentages of people who gamble in each level of risk decrease as the severity increases. 

Source: National Survey for Wales 2022-23

In-depth analysis was carried out to investigate the links between risky gambling behaviours (defined here as scoring at least 1 on the PSGI) and a variety of demographic and geographic factors. As with all analyses of this type, we are unable to attribute cause and effect for these associations, or to take account of factors not measured in the survey. See Quality information for more details.

While controlling for links with other factors, the following factors were independently associated with risky gambling behaviours in the last 12 months:

Age was found to be a factor, with people aged between 18 to 44 being the most likely to report a risky level of gambling behaviour, with 17% of the group having done so, compared with 7% of people aged 45 to 64 and 2% of people aged 65+. The mean PSGI scores also followed the same trend, with scores of 0.52, 0.18, and 0.03 for the 18 to 44, 45 to 64, and 65+ age groups respectively.

Living in material deprivation was also found to be a factor, with 20% of gamblers living in material deprivation reporting a risky level of gambling behaviour, with a mean PSGI score of 0.63, compared with 8% of gamblers not living in material deprivation having risky gambling behaviours, with a mean score of 0.23.

Taking part in non-lottery, non-scratchcard gambling was also independently linked with increased likelihood of having risky gambling behaviours. 18% of people who partook in non-lottery, non-scratchcard gambling had scored at least 1 on the PSGI, with a mean score of 0.60. By comparison, 4% of those who had only gambled on lotteries or scratchcards scored at least 1 point on the PSGI, with a mean score of 0.09.

Having a limiting long-term illness (LLTI) was found to be a linked factor, however no significant differences could be identified when comparing those with or without a LLTI with each other, or with the national average.

Sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status and religious beliefs were not found to be independently linked to risky gambling behaviour.

Gambling is a popular pastime, and many people participate in gambling activities without issues. For others however, gambling can become problematic causing addiction, damage to health and relationships and life-changing financial loss. The Welsh Government supports a preventative, early intervention and public health approach to gambling and we work with a variety of partners to support those affected by gambling-related harm. We also fully support the comprehensive reform of the industry and are working with the UK and Scottish Government’s to better prevent gambling harm, protect those at risk and ensure responsible gambling practices. 

The results from the National Survey for Wales provide an understanding of gambling behaviours in Wales, the types of activities people engage in, and information on people experiencing problem gambling.

The Gambling Survey for Great Britain, run by the UK Gambling Commission, collects information about UK-wide gambling. The data is partially comparable with the National Survey, as the Problem Gambling Severity Index questions are the same in both surveys. The gambling activity questions, however, are not directly comparable, as the Gambling Commission questions are asked regarding the last 4 weeks, as opposed to the last 12 months as asked about in the National Survey.

The National Survey for Wales is a continuous, large-scale, random sample telephone survey covering people across Wales. Addresses are randomly selected, and invitations sent by post, requesting that a phone number be provided for the address. The phone number can be provided via an online portal, a telephone enquiry line, or direct to the mobile number of the interviewer for that case. If no phone number is provided, an interviewer may call at the address and ask for a phone number. 

Detailed charts and tables of results are available in our National Survey for Wales: interactive results viewer. For information on data collection and methodology please see our Quality report, Technical report, and Regression report pages.

Cross-analysis suggests that various factors may be associated with the responses given to each question asked in the National Survey. However, these factors are often linked to each other (for example, people with a limiting long-term condition may also be older). To get a clearer understanding of the effect of each individual factor, we have used statistical methods to separate out the individual effect of each factor. These methods allow us to look at the effect of one factor while keeping other factors constant – sometimes called “controlling for other factors”. Each breakdown described in this report was identified as an individual factor.

National Statistics status

The United Kingdom Statistics Authority (UKSA) has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics (UKSA).

National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality, and public value.

All official statistics should comply with all aspects of the Code of Practice for Statistics. They are awarded National Statistics status following an assessment by the UKSA’s regulatory arm. The Authority considers whether the statistics meet the highest standards of Code compliance, including the value they add to public decisions and debate. 

It is Welsh Government’s responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards expected of National Statistics. If we become concerned about whether these statistics are still meeting the appropriate standards, we will discuss any concerns with the Authority promptly. National Statistics status can be removed at any point when the highest standards are not maintained and reinstated when standards are restored.

The continued designation of these statistics as National Statistics was confirmed in June 2020 following a compliance check by the Office for Statistics Regulation (letter of confirmation) (UKSA). These statistics last underwent a full assessment (full report) against the Code of Practice in 2013 (UKSA). 

Since the latest review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, we have continued to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics, by for example: 

• providing more detailed breakdowns in the National Survey Wales: results viewer.
• updated the survey topics regularly to ensure we continue to meet changing policy need.
• continued to carry out regression analysis as a standard part of our outputs, to help users understand the contribution of particular factors to outcomes of interest.

Email: surveys@gov.wales 

Media: 0300 025 8099
SB 35/2024