New analysis of player data published by the Gambling Commission (UKGC) reveals that nearly one in 11 adults in Great Britain experienced harm as a result of someone else’s gambling during 2024.
The findings, derived from an analysis of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) 2024, which is used by the Gambling Commission to better understand player activity across verticals, were published on Thursday.
Data was taken from 19,714 adults aged 18 years and older living in Great Britain who were asked a series of gambling behaviour questions.
The GSGB found that while 48% of adults reported having someone close to them who gambled, 9% of all adults (around 1.6 million people) experienced at least one adverse consequence from another person’s gambling in the past 12 months.
Of these “affected others”, 5.3% reported severe harms, with 19% reporting at least one potential adverse consequence.
Younger women more likely to be affected others
A notable 63% of those affected by others’ gambling had also gambled themselves in the past year, slightly higher than the 60% gambling rate among the general adult population. This included recent gambling activity in the past four weeks (54% versus 48%).
The group of affected others tended to be younger and more likely female, with 55% female and 46% aged between 25 and 44 years. They were also more engaged in “higher-risk” gambling activities such as in-person betting on events (participation rate nearly 3.7 times higher than other gamblers) and casino play.
Among the affected others who also gambled, 21.5% scored in the problem gambling range (scores of 8-27 on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI)), compared to just 4.5% among all gamblers, a near five-fold increase.
Health-related harms
Health-related harms were the most frequently reported, with 73.7% of affected others experiencing at least one consequence of the other person’s gambling. Relationship harms were reported by 65.3%, and financial/resource harms by 42.5%. The most common specific harms included stress or anxiety (57.9%), shame or embarrassment (52%) and increased conflict or arguments (45.4%).
More than one in four (26.6%) affected others reported at least one severe harm, including relationship breakdowns, significant financial loss, violence or abuse and criminal activity.
Data from UK-facing charity GamCare, released earlier this year, showed a total of 1,954 people in the UK utilised itsMoney Guidance Service in 2025 after experiencing gambling losses. This figure was more than double the previous year’s total of 923.
Among severe harm cases, UKGC’s report found 74.3% cited relationship breakdown as a consequence.
Despite the prevalence of harm, just 14.5% of affected others sought help due to another person’s gambling in the past year. Those who gambled themselves were more likely to seek support (18.3%) compared to non-gambling affected others (7.7%), accessing a range of mental health, welfare, relationship counselling and gambling-specific services.
Further research to take place
The UKGC’s analysis utilised new consequence-focused questions on the GSGB, expanding understanding beyond the traditional PGSI framework to capture harms experienced by people other than the gambler.
The data reveal that “affected others” are not a homogeneous group; many are also active gamblers, and in households or social networks where multiple people gamble. Harmful outcomes tend to compound across financial, relational and health domains.
To deepen their understanding, the UKGC has planned further qualitative research to explore experiences in greater detail and clarify the dynamics of affected others’ harms.
The UK government also recently announced an allocation of £25.4 million to gambling-harm prevention services. According to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the grants are intended to support “equitable and innovative prevention strategies”.
Kathryn Evans
Kathryn covers bitesize breaking news with a primary focus on EMEA and US legislation. A proud North Walian, fluent Welsh speaker and lifelong Wrexham FC fan – long before Hollywood came calling.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/sustainable-gambling/nearly-one-in-eleven-adults-affected-by-others-gambling-2024-ukgc/
