Trade Body Urges UKGC to Change Its Approach to Data Collection
A trade body wants the UKGC to obtain statistics and data from a more varied range of sources.
Key Facts:
- The trade body Institute of Licensing wants the UKGC to work with more stats
- It’s encouraged the UKGC to obtain data from a wider range of providers
- This follows the publication of the Gambling Survey of Great Britain
The Institute of Licensing (IoL) has encouraged the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) to improve three key things. These are its policies, its strategies and the way in which it supports betting companies when it comes to using statistics and data.
The IoL released a statement shortly after the UKGC published its data from the second year of the Gambling Survey of Great Britain (GSGB). According to the IoL, the UKGC needs to make changes if it’s going to improve the general public’s confidence in the survey and its results.
Recommended Changes in Detail
The IoL believes that the UKGC should produce a more thorough improvement plan. This is so that the recommendations based on the survey, put forward by Professor Patrick Sturgis of the London School of Economics, are to go ahead in a smooth and seamless way.
The UKGC should also provide information on quality assurance checks and validation processes while improving its user engagement strategy. Establishing trust with the readers and users of the GSGB is key if it will have a positive lasting effect.
The Gambling Survey of Great Britain
The GSGB was started in 2023 and designed to be a two-year study. It looked at the ways in which British people interact with the gambling industry. It also analysed how people’s relationship with gambling changed throughout the two-year period.
At the same time, there was an in-depth review of the 2005 Gambling Act. This aimed to offer support for various UKGC policies and determine the best courses of action for people throughout the gambling industry to take.
The data from the second year of the study found that sports betting, scratchcards and online instant win games had the highest risk. In other words, they were more likely than other types of gambling to cause problems sooner or later.
They were the most common types of gambling practised by the survey’s respondents. A total of 12% played scratchcards, 10% placed sports bets, and 7% played online instant win games. The study also highlighted the rise of online gambling, especially among young people.
It mentioned that of the various groups of young people, men aged 18-24 were the most likely to gamble. Roughly 47% of males in this age group gambled online (not counting money spent on lottery tickets). The IoL believes that statistics such as these can be beneficial.
Going Forward
According to the IoL, the UKGC ought to think about how it can use the statistics from the second year of the study to help with the needs of the general public. It should focus on presenting data and providing the necessary detail in a way that’s accessible to people.
There’s also the matter of stakeholders and how they interpret the study and its findings. The IoL wants the UKGC to find out if the GSGB statistics relate to data from other organisations in any way. There may be connections that weren’t previously considered.
The UKGC has done this itself before. The regulatory authority previously suggested that UK gambling companies’ stakeholders use data more productively and effectively. They should see how other industries handle data and learn from their practices.
A problem may arise if gambling data is linked to data from other organisations. If stats were combined with those from the Health Survey for England, for example, some people might start to see gambling as a health issue, not a business one. This could, in turn, affect the way in which the government deals with gambling-related matters. As of May 2025, neither the UKGC nor the government has spoken about framing gambling and its associated problems in a new way. There’s no telling whether this change will happen.
