GambleAware Survey Finds Five Million Want to Cut Back on Gambling
GambleAware’s annual survey estimates more than five million adults in Britain want to reduce or stop gambling.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:New research published by the gambling harms charity GambleAware and conducted by YouGov suggests that roughly 5.1 million people in Britain would like to cut down or quit gambling. Alarmingly, the charity says about 3.9 million of those do not meet clinical thresholds for problem gambling, indicating broad interest in behaviour change beyond those already identified as high risk.
The study, which drew on responses from 17,933 people who had gambled in the previous 12 months, also found that 80% of these respondents reported being satisfied with their current gambling habits. Some 44% said they saw no reason to change because they had not experienced negative consequences. Yet the poll identified a generational pattern: around three in 10 young adults aged 18 to 34 who gamble indicated they would like to reduce or stop altogether.
GambleAware’s report highlights common reasons people give for not wanting to change – many feel their gambling is under control, treat it as a social pastime, or are motivated by the occasional win and the prospect of a larger jackpot. The charity notes this attitude persisted even among some people with a history of harmful gambling, who told researchers they prefer strict limits rather than abstinence.
GambleAware said the findings underline the importance of accessible early-intervention tools. Since launching a national service finder in July last year, the charity reports the platform has been used in more than 42,000 support searches and generated over 13,000 referral clicks to treatment and support providers. Those services operate within the National Gambling Support Network, a coalition of 13 organisations established in April 2023 that delivers prevention, treatment and recovery support across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Anna Hargrave, transition chief executive at GambleAware, said the headline numbers illustrate demand for support across the population. “Five million people want to reduce or quit their gambling, which highlights just how much our tools and services are needed”, she said, adding that help is available irrespective of how gambling is affecting someone personally.
New Resources for Therapists Working with Neurodivergent People
This week GambleAware released specialist materials aimed at therapists and frontline practitioners to improve support for clients who are neurodivergent. Commissioned from IFF Research and Ara Recovery for All, the package includes training modules, toolkits and case studies designed to build confidence among clinicians and reduce barriers to tailored care. The launch coincided with UK Safer Gambling Week and follows emerging evidence that people with conditions such as ADHD and autism can be at higher risk of gambling-related harm.
The charity says the resources are practical: they encourage clincians to adapt assessment and treatment approaches to better reflect clients’ cognitive profiles and daily routines, and to offer clear, realistic strategies such as personalised limits rather than generic abstinence messages.
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Calls for Reform and GambleAware’s Future
Separately, GambleAware has used recent publications to press for tighter online advertising rules. The organisation is urging government to bring gambling marketing into closer alignment with modern online safety powers, step up enforcement against social platforms, and convene a cross-government taskforce to shape targeted policy responses for digital media.
The charity’s campaigning comes amid structural change: GambleAware is scheduled to wind down by March 2026 after the introduction of a mandatory gambling levy in Britain. Under the new funding model, statutory bodies including the Gambling Commission and the NHS will control levy income for prevention and treatment, replacing GambleAware’s role in distributing voluntary industry donations.
Independent analysts cautioned that the headline figures should be interpreted carefully. Some commentators say extrapolating desire to reduce gambling from survey samples to the whole population risks overstating immediate demand for treatment, while still acknowledging the value of low‑threshold tools for people not classified as having a gambling disorder.
GambleAware’s research adds to a growing policy debate about how best to fund and deliver prevention and treatment services as the UK’s regulatory and funding landscape evolves over the next 18 months.
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