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08 August 2013

Statistics on gambling, alcohol and drug misuse

Gambling

In 2012, the Gross Gambling Yield (the amount left after winnings had been paid but before other costs had been deducted) was £6.2 billion.

The betting shop sector is the largest sector of the gambling industry with 52 per cent of the market and a yield of £3 billion.

Lotteries are the biggest growth area in the industry with a yield of £221 million – a growth of 35 per cent over the last five years.

In a 2013 survey looking at gambling participation carried out by ICM Research for the Gambling Commission the following results were obtained:

  • An average of 58 per cent of respondents had participated in at least one form of gambling in the previous weeks.
  • The most common frequency of participation for those who have gambled in the previous four weeks was "once a week'.
  • Those participating in gambling are most likely to be aged over 35 although the largest growth in participation between 2012 and 2013 was among the 18-24 years group (49 per cent up from 44 per cent)
  • 15 per cent of respondents said they had participated in at least one form of online gambling in the previous four weeks.
  • The most popular type of gambling activity is National Lottery, which draws 47 per cent.

Source www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk


Research done for a Channel 4 Dispatches programme broadcast in August 2012 revealed that £1 billion was being lost on Fixed Odd Betting Terminals (FOBT) every year. It is possible to feed £100 into a FOBT every 20 seconds.
Source eauk.co/18a4tTu

A review of Gambling Prevalence Studies by NatCen published in 2013 found that participation in machine gambling (e.g. FOTB) tends to be highest in the youngest age group (16-24 years) and in the lowest income groups. This group is also the most at risk from "gambling harm".http://eauk.co/13FVRnY

The number of people contacting Gamecare, the gambling addiction service went up from 399,381 in 2010/11 to 503,108 in 2011/12. http://eauk.co/14y9atj

Alcohol consumption

  • Alcohol consumption declined by 13 per cent between 2004 and 2011
  • The UK alcohol industry supports two million jobs and is worth £37 billion.
  • According to Home Office 2012 figures, the cost of alcohol misuse in society is estimated to be around £21 billion and that includes £11 billion in alcohol-related crime in England and Wales.
  • Alcohol misuse is estimated to cost the UK economy £7.3 billion a year in lost productivity and cost the NHS £3.5 billion per year.
  • Up to 35 per cent of all accident and emergency (A&E) attendances and ambulance costs are alcohol-related. Between 12 midnight and 5am, 70 per cent of all A&E attendances are alcohol related
  • 7.6 million people are classified as being "hazardous drinkers"
  • According to Office for National Statistics figures there were 8,748 alcohol-related deaths in 2011.  The figure was 4,023 in 1992.

Sources http://eauk.co/18a4wPoand eauk.co/13MwahGand eauk.co/15NwgZGand eauk.co/13jGvBP


Drug Misuse

  • In 2010/11, 8.8 per cent of adults aged 16 to 59 living in England and Wales had used one or more illicit drugs in the last year, a decrease from 11 per cent in survey year 1996.
  • For younger adults aged 16 to 24, drug use in the last year decreased slightly from 20.4 per cent in 2010/11 to 19.3 per cent in 2010/11.  6.3 per cent of young adults used Class A drugs in the last year compared to 6.6 per cent in 2010/11. In the long-term, Class A drug use among young people has steadily decreased from 9.2 per cent in 1996.
  • The proportion of 11 to 15-year-olds who reported having taken drugs in the last year was 17 per cent in 2011, down from 29 per cent in 2001.
  • In England in 2011/12 there were 6,173 admissions to hospital with a primary diagnosis of a drug-related mental health or behavioural disorder.
  • There were a total of 1,605 deaths in England and Wales attributed to drug misuse in 2011.

·During 2011/12, there were197,110 individuals in contact with structured drug treatment services.

Source: Statistics on Drug Misuse England 2012. November 2012 NHS Information Centre