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In-Play Betting Linked to Higher Gambling Harm in UK

03 November 2026

The UK’s Gambling Commission has found that in-play betting, which allows gamblers to place wagers on events during a game, is associated with higher levels of gambling-related harm. The commission confirmed in October 2025 that all gambling businesses must now prompt customers to set a financial limit before their first deposit, remind customers of their limits every six months, and allow financial limits to be set freely at account level. Experts say the evidence on deposit limits could strengthen the case for stricter consumer protections as rates of problem gambling remain high.

Survey Findings Tied to Worsening Outcome

The Gambling Commission’s 2025 Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) annual report found that 2.7 percent of adults who had gambled in the past 12 months suffered one or more severe financial or social consequences. Experts fear that more vulnerable individuals are being drawn to riskier forms of gambling.

"The continuous rewards from in-play betting lead to increased participation without realizing how much has been spent," says Tony Matthews, research director at the Gambling Commission. "And this report shows that connection more clearly than before."

Why In-Play Betting Is Distinct

In-play betting involves wagering on events during a game, such as the next goal or turnover. The 2025 annual report found a strong connection between this type of betting, especially among those who do it weekly, and higher scores on the Problem Gambling Severity Index. Experts say that the fast-paced, continuous nature of in-play betting contributes to gambling problems.

A 2024 report linked weekly participation in in-play betting with the spacing out of minimum and maximum deposit settings. The GSGB asked 11,000 people in April and May 2025 about their last four weeks of in-play betting, and found a slight drop in activity since the previous year.

Commission Enforces New Deposit Limit Rules

By the end of this quarter, all online gambling operators must let players set a deposit limit that is independent of pre-set amounts. "It's crucial," says Jenny Simmons, Gambling Commission spokesperson, "that all gamblers feel empowered to set limits based on what they personally want to spend, not based on what an operator might set as a default."

Evidence Shows Benefits of Change

The Behavioral Insights Team (BIT) has conducted trials involving thousands of online gambling customers. In one, when presented with small sample sizes for preset deposit limits, gamblers setting their own limits on average decreased them by 46 percent.

"We know from our research that applying defaults rather than letting people decide for themselves reduces the size of the limit set," says Broken Swinton, senior researcher on the study at BIT.

BIT's trials found that 54% said they would set a spending limit for themselves, and 48% supported a mandatory limit. Limits were also 45% lower when people were shown lower deposit amounts, and 46% lower when they could only enter their own deposit limit.

Placing Findings in Wider Context

In October 2025, the Gambling Commission published its annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), showing that 2.7% of adults have a gambling problem in terms of behavioural disorder prevalence. That translates to 1.4 million Britons nationally. Nearly two-thirds of adults have gambled in the past year, with 23% online. Gambling problems and financial losses were found to be even higher with slot machines and in-play betting, and "the link to in-play here is an important finding, and it suggests that safeguards may need to be strengthened," says Natasha Palmer, Guardian health editor who covered the findings.

The Gambling Commission's report indicates that those who bet on non-sports events in person, like roulette or slots, are 10 times more likely to have a gambling problem. The GSGB is based on an anonymized, online survey of 11,600 UK adults, the most comprehensive UK survey of its kind.

The prevalence of in-play betting stood at 4% year-on-year, but the Commission says that individuals who bet every week are over four times as likely to have a gambling problem compared with all surveyed. More significantly, 15% of those who bet in-play every week fit the “problem gambling” category in the PGSI screen compared to 3% of all those surveyed.