The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has voiced concerns about the UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) latest survey.

The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) is the first such report to use a different methodology and aims to highlight detailed British gambling behaviour. It used a push-to-web data collection methodology, which the BGC says is not comparable to previous data collection survey methods.

They question the reliability of the survey by adding that it may also inflate participation in gambling and problem gambling. The report had responses by 9,804 participants.

A BGC spokesperson said: 'The methodology used in this survey is different to those previously conducted into betting and gaming. As a result, the Gambling Commission has been clear, GSGB should not be used to make direct comparisons with results from prior surveys, as a measure of addiction, or to gross up problem gambling prevalence to the whole population.'

'Our members are concerned these findings may be unreliable because there is a significant risk GSGB overstates gambling participation and gambling-related harm.'

Even though they have concerns, the BGC is committed to supporting gambling harms and encouraging responsible gambling. Over the last four years, members of the BGC have raised over £170 million to fund research and support to prevent and support those with problem gambling.

The UKGC, however, defended the survey's accuracy and asked Professor Patrick Sturgis of the London School of Economics to review the new methodology approach. He described the new process as “exemplary in all respects”. However, he added that some changes need to be addressed, including the use of face-to-face interview surveys in addition to the online questions.

He commented: 'With an annual sample size of 20,000 individual interviews across the nations and regions of Great Britain, the survey will provide researchers and policymakers with fine-grained and timely data across a broad range of key indicators.'

For help with gambling concerns, visit gamstop.co.uk, call the National Gambling Helpline at 0808 802 0133, or read our responsible gambling guides.