People from ethnic minority backgrounds in Great Britain face a higher risk of gambling-related harm than white participants, despite lower overall gambling participation rates, according to research by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).
The study, published on Tuesday, analysed data from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 Gambling Survey for Great Britain. Researchers from NatCen and the University of Glasgow compared gambling habits, risk levels, reported harms and use of support services across ethnic groups.
White participants were more likely to have gambled in the four weeks before the survey. However, much of the difference was attributed to their higher participation in National Lottery and charity lottery draws.
When researchers excluded participants who had only bought lottery tickets, the gap in overall gambling participation narrowed, with ethnic minority groups reporting greater engagement in other forms of gambling.
Participants from mixed or multiple ethnic backgrounds were about five times more likely than white participants to have placed in-person bets on event outcomes. They also recorded particularly high participation in non-lottery gambling activities.
They were more likely than white participants to have gambled on at least three different types of gambling during the four-week period.
The report found higher Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores across all ethnic minority groups compared with white participants. The proportion of participants with scores of eight or higher, indicating problem gambling, ranged from 1.9% among white participants to 7.7% among those from mixed or multiple ethnic backgrounds.
Ethnic minority participants who had gambled recently were also more likely to report serious adverse outcomes, including relationship breakdowns, major financial losses and other problems affecting their health, finances or personal relationships.
Differences in demographic characteristics, socioeconomic circumstances, and gambling participation explained some of the disparities, but researchers said these factors did not account for most differences in risk levels and adverse outcomes.
The disparities were also evident among participants with low PGSI scores. Among recent gamblers who scored zero, 2.7% of white participants reported at least one other possible adverse outcome, compared with 7.0% to 10.6% across ethnic minority groups.
Although ethnic minority participants were more likely to seek help for gambling, the report found that support use remained below the level of need indicated by the findings. About three-quarters of participants with PGSI scores of three or higher had not accessed any form of support, regardless of ethnicity.
The UKGC said the research adds to its evidence base on gambling behaviour across different communities. It added that further research involving people with first-hand experience of gambling-related harm could help explain the disparities and inform more effective prevention and support strategies.