The British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007 was published by the U.K. Gambling Commission today, revealing to the surprise of the British media that problem gambling has not increased since 1999.
"We were not surprised by the numbers," Simon Holliday, a partner with Global Betting and Gaming Consultants, told IGN. "[Although we do not track problem gambling numbers,] we have always viewed the British gambler as having a healthy view and exposure to gambling."
The study, conducted by the National Center for Social Research (NCSR), measured participation in gambling, assessed the level of problem gambling and gauged the public's attitude toward gambling.
Despite the availability and popularity of a range of new gambling products, the study found that problem gamblers comprised between 0.5 percent (236,000) and 0.6 percent (284,000) of the British adult population. The figures were extrapolated from answers given by the study's 9,003 respondents.
Media projections ahead of the study held that between 600,000 and 800,000 adults would be documented problem gamblers, which, invariably, would have raised concern over the direction of the country's already liberal gaming policy.
"There is now nothing to suggest that the new regime we have in place is at all inappropriate, but we still need to monitor the effects closely," Gambling Commission Chairman Peter Dean told a press conference in London.
"We remain concerned that there are still over a quarter of a million adults who are problem gamblers," Dean said. "The challenge, for us and for the industry, is to tackle this through the new licensing regime that has been put in place from Sept. 1."
According to the study, the highest prevalence of problem gambling was found among respondents who participated in spread betting (14.7 percent), FOBTs (11.2 percent) and betting exchanges (9.8 percent).
"The results perhaps place spreadbettors (regulated by the Financial Services Authority rather than the Gambling Commission), FOBTs and the exchanges under the spotlight," Holliday said. "These are key areas where there could be more regulation in the not-so-distant future."
Along this line, Dean said that the commission is planning to conduct more specific research into the relationship between problem gambling behavior and individual games. He added that the current study, which the NCSR called "overdue," would be repeated between 2009 and 2010 to gauge the efficacy of the Gambling Act in relation to problem gambling.
As expected, reactions across the industry were positive.
In the United States, the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) made apt use of the findings in a prepared statement titled "Regulated Internet Gambling Does Not Lead to Increase in Problem Gambling." It remains to be seen how much weight, if any, the numbers will carry among U.S. legislators already slow in backing Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank's Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act.
Chris Krafcik is the editor of IGamingNews. He lives in St. Louis, Mo.