This report by Bournemouth University and commissioned by GambleAware provides an overview of the relative harm of gambling products in Great Britain. The research involved a rapid literature review of articles published from 2020 to 2023. The researchers also combined findings from the National Gambling Treatment Service annual statistics from GambleAware, GamCare helpline summary data, and statistics on participation and problem gambling from the Gambling Commission. A second phase of research involved analysing the combined data from the annual Great Britain Treatment and Support Survey for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Findings include:
- Use of electronic gambling machines was the most significant predictor of experiencing problem gambling.
- Casino games had the second highest proportion of people who experienced problem gambling.
- Significant risks came from engaging in sports betting, especially in-play betting and custom sports bets
- Young adults (18–34) engaged more in gaming machines at bookmakers, gambling in casinos, and sports betting, compared to older people, indicating that young adults can be at greater risk of gambling harms.
Recommendations provided are organized into four topic areas: regulatory approaches, prevention and intervention, research and policy development, and enhanced data utilization, consistency, and sharing.
