Gambling: key points

• Many types of gambling are legally available in Scotland, including bingo, slot machines, casinos, betting shops and the National Lottery.
• The 2021 Scottish Health Survey reported that 58% of adults (aged 16 and over) had gambled within the previous 12 months, and men were more likely to have gambled than women (61% and 56% respectively).
• Many people gamble without experiencing adverse consequences, but others experience a range of health harms including depression, anxiety and poor physical health. People can also experience a range of other harms detrimental to health and wellbeing, such as financial difficulty and distress and relationship breakdown.
• It is estimated that in 2021, around 0.4% of the adult Scottish population, equivalent to around 18,000 people, experienced problem gambling, based on two standard measures. Men were significantly more likely to engage in problem gambling than women (0.7% and 0.1% respectively).
• A further 1.5% (around 68,000 adults) were likely to be at risk of moderate gambling problems (2.1% of men and 1.0% of women), based on a standard risk questionnaire.
• In 2016/2017 there were significant inequalities in who was most likely to experience harm; those living in the most deprived areas of Scotland were nearly three times more likely to experience problem gambling than those living in the least deprived areas (1.5% vs 0.5%).
• The proportion of young people in Great Britain engaging in problem gambling increased to 1.5% in 2024, up from 0.7% in 2023. Additionally, 1.9% of young people are subject to 'at risk' gambling. Young people categorised as "at risk" may exhibit patterns that suggest potential progression toward problem gambling if the behaviour is not addressed.

Acknowledgement: ScotPHO would like to thank Laura Macdonald (Researcher, Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow) and Heather Wardle (Assistant Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) for their assistance in producing this section.