New Report Reveals Why Brits Gamble: Winners, Fun, and Socialisation Among Top Motivations

_{A new report by the University of Glasgow highlights why Brits gamble. (Image: Jim Monk / Alamy)}

A new Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) report has been published this week, which looks at people's reasons for gambling, which include online casinos, slots, and bingo.

On Thursday, January 30, Helen Bryce, Head of Statistics, announced the release of the report—written by the University of Glasgow in partnership with The National Centre for Social Research—explores the reasons why people gamble in the ways that they do. 

Based on GSGB research, the Gambling Commission found that the most common reasons why adults in Great Britain gamble were:

• For the chance of winning big money (86 percent)
• Because gambling is fun (70 percent)
• To make money (58 percent)  
• Because it's exciting (55 percent) 

The Gambling Commission said that they were able to see trends across a range of different gambling products in more detail than ever before. The GC’s Head of Statistics, Helen Bryce, explained these results and how they help inform the work of the GC in a blog post on their website. 

Key Findings from New Report Show National Lottery as Having ‘Win Big’ Appeal

One of the key findings in the new report was that people saw the chance of winning big as a primary motivation for National Lottery players. However, for many other activities (like online sports betting, bingo, and private betting), fun and excitement were more important than financial gain. 

It is not surprising given the enormous amount of media activity around playing and winning the lottery. The National Lottery created a staggering 383 millionaires in 2024—that translates to more than one every day.

Bingo Highlighted as Socially Motivated Gambling Activity 

Bingo was highlighted as being an area of gambling whereby the in-person requirement shows stronger social motivations. However, social reasons were less evident for in-person slot and fruit machine players. 

Interestingly, those who gamble online tend to engage less for social reasons, despite the existence of interactive platforms.

There have been numerous closures of bingo halls across the UK, with people turning to online bingo. 

Despite the closures, the statistics show that the number of bingo premises has remained steady over a period of 13 years from 2011 to 2023. 

_{Bingo hall numbers have remained steady since 2011, despite closures. (Image: Statista)}

The GSGB’s extensive data allows for deeper analysis of how motivations vary not only by gambling activity but potentially by player demographics, a direction for future research.

The report is part of a two-part series, with the second report focusing on the relationship between gambling activities and Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores. That report is set to be released next week.