In the UK, the Gambling Commission watchdog has published the results of an independent analysis conducted by the National Centre For Social Research on gambling participation over the last year.
The Commission revealed that its third annual British Gambling Prevalence Survey found that nearly three quarters of adults (73 percent) gambled at some point during 2010, which was up from 67 percent in 2007, while the vast majority took part ‘because it’s fun’ and ‘for the chance of winning big money’.

“The British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010 shows that the British public takes part in a wide range of activities with still only a relatively small proportion gambling online,” read a statement from the Gambling Commission.
The British Gambling Prevalence Survey also found an increase in the number of problem gamblers in Britain although the author noted that it was not possible to determine whether this represented an upward trend or a temporary fluctuation. One measure used by the investigation found that the proportion of problem gamblers in the UK grew from 0.5 percent of the adult population in 2007 to 0.7 percent in 2010, which the Gambling Commission stated was ‘not statistically significant’, while a second assessment found that this share had increased by 0.3 percent from 0.6 percent three years ago, something that the watchdog revealed was ‘at the margins of statistical significance’.

“The British Gambling Prevalence Survey confirms that there are a significant and growing number of people who take part in gambling,” said Brian Pomeroy, Chairman for the Gambling Commission.
“However, it also indicates that a small but probably growing proportion of the population has serious problems with their gambling. This reinforces our determination to see that gambling regulation continues to both minimise the risk to those individuals and ensure that the majority of people can continue to gamble safely.”

The Gambling Commission declared that the rates of problem gamblers in the UK as determined by its British Gambling Prevalence Survey were ‘similar to those in other European countries’ such as Germany, Norway and Switzerland but lower than nations like the United States, Australia and South Africa.

“To find out which treatment and prevention programmes really work we need a better understanding of how to reduce the harm experienced by problem gamblers and how to help them,” said Baroness Julia Neuberger, Chair for the Gambling Commission’s independent Strategy Board, which is tasked with minimising the risks associated with gaming.

“This means the industry needs to meet agreed fundraising targets to pay for these programmes plus the supporting research.”