A recent survey carried out in Gibraltar has concluded that around 78% of Gibraltar’s adult population is involved in a gambling activity, significantly more than the 48% in the UK.

Carried out in advance of next week’s Ethical Gambling Forum on the Sunborn, results show that the most popular gambling activity is the Gibraltar Government Lottery, although a significant number of respondents don’t deem this to be a gambling activity. Of the 51.3% who said they participated in the Lottery, just under half felt that this was a form of gambling. The Gambling Commission defines a lottery as a kind of gambling as it has three essential elements:

• payment is required to participate
• one or more prizes are awarded
• those prizes are awarded by chance.

0.44% of the local population responded to the survey compared to a similar survey carried out by the UK Gambling Commission, which represented 0.029% of the population.

4.7% of Gibraltar-based respondents gamble either daily or multiple times a day and do not feel their gambling is within their financial means. This equated to 7 respondents in total, although only 2 of them were concerned about their gambling behaviour. However, 5.3% of respondents said they were concerned about someone else’s gambling behaviour.

Online gambling is also very popular locally, with around one third of respondents having at least one online account and some as many as 7 or 8 different accounts.

A number of comments related to the increased concern in gambling amongst young people, especially within the gaming community and children being encouraged to spend “vbucks in the game Fortnite” and using “loot boxes” to keep up with their peers.

The survey was carried out to gain a better understanding of the local gambling scene prior to next week’s conference which will look at the prevalence of gambling and how greater collaboration amongst industry stakeholders can assist in overcoming some of its ethical dilemmas.

Co-Organiser Jo Abergel commented, “We were very surprised by the prevalence of gambling in Gibraltar as shown by survey results and look forward to discussing these in more detail at next week’s event. We have a number of guest speakers from abroad as well as from Gibraltar and will also be welcoming a panel of recovering gambling addicts who will share their stories. Safer gambling is just one aspect of the conference which will also look at other ethical considerations such as financial crime in the industry and whether regulatory fines are having any effect.”

She continued, “The gambling industry in Gibraltar represents around 25% of the local workforce and brings significant income and career opportunities to our jurisdiction. We want to highlight our well-regulated territory but also address the concerns that many have about this sector.”

Keynote speaker, Jody Bechtold from The Better Institute in Pittsburgh,  will offer a unique perspective, bridging the gap between clinical practice and the gambling industry. Drawing from extensive experience as a counsellor, advocate, and CEO of a group practice, Bechtold will provide a front-line perspective on the current state of gambling and its impact on clients, highlighting critical issues such as financial literacy, increased access through online platforms, and the co-occurrence of impulsivity and mental health/substance use disorders. This talk emphasizes the ethical imperative for collaboration within the gambling industry. Bechtold will urge gambling operators to enhance accountability by integrating subject matter experts into their advisory teams and supporting prevention and treatment efforts through strategic partnerships and sponsorships. Ultimately, the presentation calls for a shift towards a sustainable collaboration among regulators, industry operators, and gambling disorder experts to foster a culture of responsibility and minimize gambling-related harm.

The Ethical Gambling Forum takes place on 29 & 30 April and the full agenda can be found on https://www.egf.events/agenda.html. Free tickets to attend conference sessions only can be reserved by contacting [email protected].