Online Gambling Use Is Stabilizing—but So Is Harm Among Heaviest Users

15 September 2026

Overall gambling participation in Great Britain has held relatively steady over the past few years, the Gambling Commission found in its latest surveys. Close to 48% of adults 18 and up gambled in the past four weeks, according to the 2024 Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB). And the percentage who scored 8 or higher on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) - indicating at least some problems linked to their habits - remained statistically unchanged from 2023, at 2.7%.

Yet as many in the industry see it, the digital transformation of betting continues to create new risks for a subset of users. Recent measures suggest that some habitual gamblers, especially those who do most of their betting online, may be facing an intensifying cycle of problems - even though overall participation rates remain stable.

The GDPB's 2023-2025 trends report highlights where that kind of digging-in is happening, in some demographics. "We've seen a slight but notable uptick in recent years in the share of older male users dipping into online betting beyond the occasional lottery ticket," says Jason Freemont, an analyst with BetTech Research. Per the report, this group saw a 4-percentage-point increase, from 18% to 22%, in those doing any online gambling besides lotteries in the past 4 weeks as of 2025, and they're spending more – a 5-percentage-point rise in the share doing that type of gambling in the past year, from 27% to 32% over the 2023-2025 timeframe.

And from 2018 to 2021, the share of those 25 or younger who engaged with the National Gambling Helpline, after choosing the option to specify their gambling problems, that cited online gambling soared, from 41.7% to 82%, per data from the operator, GamCare.

For regulators, that's a flag the new measures can't ignore. Since 2024, the Commission has required "light-touch financial vulnerability checks for people spending £150 a month or more, to identify and take prompt action where monthly losses could exceed disposable income." In 2026, a new reporting requirement calls for financial risk assessments of online gamblers who spend £1,000 in under 24 hours, or £2,000 in 90 days, to root out harmful betting patterns that indicate financial distress – not only among those under 25, but all those flagged by those metrics.

More on this is available via OnlineCasinos.co.at.

Industry players aren't dismissing the other major protective steps, either. For its part, the gambling industry has taken practical and concrete measures like slowing the pace of online games, banning "autoplay" that lets players bet without ending, and tightening age verification. "The Commission is using technology to focus increasingly on spotting problematic gambling behavior at the account level," says Daniel Dold, core member of the Gambling Business Conference organizing committee. Banning or slowing autoplay, limiting the amount of the stake allowed, and making dynamic real-time data a bedrock of player protection are "not fleeting reforms," he says. "This tech stack is looking to become a constant feature of betting platforms, now that the link between repeated play without a break and elevated harm risk is understood."

Yet for industry watchers, the gap remains, between the population of people who may be coming to harm and the scope of current protections. And expanding those protections is the ongoing concern. According to the BBC, the Commission has suggested checks for people who spend upwards of £1,000 in a day, or £3,000 in a 90-day window online, a threshold that compares to £0 to £50 a week for the overall population. It could mean enrichment for a boost in funding to those who fund player support, "but it won't affect most users" says Jake Moss, British-based president of the Gamblor Control faction, made up of lobbying-hardened players' rights advocates and academics. With the UK gaming industry pulling in some £14 billion since 2020, plus the eye-watering sums pulled in on other days, many players, finds the BBC, "can fall between the cracks." Segments of high-risk players could still end up at unregistered offshore sites. And as Gross notes, "for land-based casinos, the thresholds for these measures are likely twice as much - £2,000 in a day, from £3,000 in 90 days."

"Precisely," says Moss. The problem isn't shrinking even if overall participation is. "This won't capture people spending £150 every two weeks, or £100 a week, without the land-based gamblers also being flagged. And half a percent? That's not a social disruption. That may not go far enough."

Ultimately, according to BetTech research estimates, regulation experts predict measures could move to balance with demand - though how far remains to be seen. But at minimum, participants agree, those trying to stabilize player welfare will keep the pressure on for next steps, and more intensive provisions.