The UK Gambling Commission has recently given its support to the Office for Statistics Regulation’s (OSR) review of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), a significant study aimed at providing an understanding of gambling behaviours across the country. This approval bears testament to the Commission’s determination to upgrade its data collection methods, which need to be accurate and transparent to contribute to effective gambling policies and consumer protection.
According to the Commission, the GSGB is the largest survey of its kind in the world, and the years leading up to its launch have been spent tenaciously developing it as a means of supplying a trustworthy basis for understanding trends in gambling and its effects on society. The OSR reviewed the GSGB’s quality and transparency against its Code of Practice for Statistics to support ongoing development.
The review praised the Commission for its efforts, noting the extensive work carried out on behalf of a credible dataset. The OSR defended the idea that the GSGB’s lack of official statistics accreditation stands for it being less valuable or less credible, and an idea that needs to be explained to all stakeholders. The survey results help guide decisions for various stakeholders, including policymakers who create regulations and gambling operators who handle their platforms. This also covers gambling sites not on Gamstop, which cater to players looking for alternatives to the UK’s self-exclusion scheme, allowing them to keep gambling outside the limits of the Gamstop program.
The recommendations of the OSR are accepted by the Commission, many of which they were already putting into practice. In February 2025, the recommendation for GSGB users was updated by the Commission with much clearer examples and specific contact points for queries. An effective way to demonstrate commitment to improving user engagement, which the OSR flagged as important for the survey’s lasting success. By having this guidance promoted more broadly and included in more of its releases, the Commission would like to make sure that the data is open and useful to a much wider audience that spans researchers, regulators, and industry professionals.
The GSGB is essential in documenting gambling behaviours because of the speedy nature of the sector’s continued evolution. With the growing online gaming environment, particularly for those working outside Gamstop, it has become imperative to understand consumer behaviour for setting a balance between regulation and innovation. The data collected from this survey is important for regulators to understand participation rates, spending patterns, and potentially risky behaviours, which will signal the areas where consumer protection is needed. For example, the Commission has already acted upon OSR feedback, improving data clarity and reliability, with a more detailed update planned for July 2025.
This review highlights the Commission’s broader task of developing a safer gambling environment in the future through such improvements of the GSGB, which will focus on issues affecting a small section of the population. The survey results can help shape interventions to make sure they are backed by evidence and work well. For operators, this data provides insight into market trends to work with an understanding of the needs of consumers in a responsible gambling framework.
The OSR’s approval and constructive feedback were an important milestone for the GSGB and thus enhanced its reputation as an aid for informed decision-making. In the Commission’s ongoing fine-tuning of the survey lies increased power to monitor and regulate the gambling itself. The work currently will benefit the regulators, the industry, and persons who choose to engage in gambling activities.
