A study from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care has published their results, revealing a significant link between gambling harm and mental health issues.

The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) – published in June – has produced telling results that suggest gambling harm in the UK is no longer a question of regulation, but a high-priority mental health matter.

In the UK, gambling concerns are narrowed down to a very small portion of the population and statistics have shown that gambling participation in the UK has, in fact, dropped from 66% in 2007 to just 43% in 2023/24.

Despite that, for those struggling with addiction, there is less direct help or the recognition of it being an important mental health matter. Moreover, the symptoms of gambling harm often remain under-diagnosed, masked, and categorised as more conventional mental health symptoms.

What did the results reveal?

Firstly, APMS’ results determined that only 0.3% of the adult population in England would be deemed as a problem gambler under current clinical definitions which is less than the 2023 study conducted by the UK Gambling Commission’s 2023 Gambling Survey for Great Britain.

While only a small section are problem gamblers, the results concluded that adults suffering from gambling problems are far more likely to report symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and, in extreme cases, suicidal ideations.

That also indicates these individuals are also disproportionately affected by unemployment, mounting personal debts, and incidents of domestic violence. A BBC study from June, 2025, also claimed that that Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) in the UK are failing to protect problem gamblers.

One reason as to why the APMS study is considered more accurate and thorough than the UK Gamblin Commission’s survey in 2023 is their methodology of questioning through face-to-face interviews with the aid of validated psychiatric tools, rather than an online self-report approach.

Is there potential for stricter regulation?

That remains to be seen; we’ve seen BoyleSports announce a plan to open up a flood of betting shops across the UK despite the trend of shops closing down year-on-year since COVID.

In terms of regulation, the UK government has already announced its intention to introduce a statutory gambling levy and, as of April, UK licensed operators now contribute between 0.1% and 1.1% of their gross gambling yield.

Money raised from the initiative will directly support NHS treatment and research into the harms caused by gambling. Plus, the APMS have warned that there is a urgent need to look at intervention and routine screening as opposed to generalised restrictions.

They want problem gambling to be pushed as a broader pattern of psychiatric issues rather than an isolated behavioural issue, but such change will require a significant push to change the current status quo.