Problem Gambling

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The surveys show that overall there had been little change in the prevalence of problem gambling
since 1999. ‘Problem gambling’ is defined as gambling to a degree that compromises, disrupts or
damages family, personal or recreational pursuits4.
The Survey employed two internationally recognised measurement screens to estimate the
prevalence of problem gambling in Britain. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental
Disorders, Edition IV (DSM IV) screen was retained from the 1999 Survey and concentrates on the
psychological motivations underpinning problem gambling. The second screen, the Canadian
Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), was introduced to reflect international best practice and
focuses on the harms and consequences associated with problem gambling.
Both the DSM IV and PGSI consist of a number of screening questions relating to problem
gambling behaviours. If the respondent scores above the problem gambling threshold they are
defined as problem gamblers.
By using more than one method to measure problem gambling the Commission was able to check
for reliability within the Survey, make comparisons with the 1999 survey and make international
comparisons. The measurement screens found problem gambling prevalence of 0.6% (DSM IV)
and 0.5% (PGSI); these are listed, along with the number of people they correspond to, in Table 5
below:
Table 5: Prevalence of problem gamblers in adult population
Screen 2007 1999
DSM IV screen 0.6% (284,000 people) 0.6% (275,000 people)
PGSI 0.5% (236,500 people) n/a
Among past year gamblers, rather than the overall adult population, the problem gambling
prevalence was 0.9% for the DSM IV screen and 0.8% for the PGSI screen. Excluding those who
only played the National Lottery Draw increases the estimate of problem gambling amongst past
year gamblers to 1.3% according to the DSM IV and 1.2% according to PGSI.
How many people are ‘at risk’ gamblers?
The PGSI allows for greater distinction among gamblers and provides a better understanding of
the distribution of gamblers from low risk to problem gamblers. This allows the screen to identify
people who may be ‘at risk’ of becoming a problem gambler.
The PGSI uses two categories to measure those who score on the scale but fall below the problem
gambling threshold. The table below shows the PGSI categories and the percentage of
respondents who fall into these categories.
Table 6: PGSI categories and the percentage of adult population in each category
PGSI classification categories Percentage of adult population
Low risk gambler 5.1%
Moderate risk gambler 1.4%