UKGC: No Data on Player Wins or Gambling-Linked Suicides

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Regulator Confirms Key Data Gaps in FOI Response

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has confirmed the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) does not hold data on the percentage of players who win versus lose, nor does it maintain a central register of suicides linked to gambling. The response, published following a request made on 13 June 2025, clarifies the regulator's role and the limits of the data it collects.

Why This Matters

This information is significant for consumers seeking to understand the true financial outcomes and potential harms associated with gambling. The absence of centralised, official statistics on player win/loss rates and gambling-related deaths means that individuals must rely on understanding theoretical concepts like Return to Player (RTP) and be aware that comprehensive harm data is not publicly available from the regulator.

Breakdown of the Findings

The request was split into two key areas: gambling-related suicides and the ratio of winning to losing players.

Data on Gambling-Related Deaths

The UKGC confirmed it does not hold information on the number of people who have taken their own lives after playing gambling games. It stated that investigating the cause of death is the responsibility of coroners, not the gambling regulator.

However, the Commission highlighted a recent change to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). As of 1 April 2024, licensed operators are now required to inform the UKGC if they become aware of a customer's death by suicide, particularly if the customer had previously warned them of their intent.

Crucially, the UKGC clarified the purpose of this new data collection:

• For Regulatory Use: The information is used to inform compliance, enforcement action against operators, and policy development.
• Not a National Statistic: The Commission explicitly stated this data is not intended to create a robust dataset on the number of deaths by suicide associated with gambling. It warned that the figures would be incomplete, as operators will not always be aware of such events, and that determining a causal link is a complex assessment beyond its remit.

Data on Winning vs. Losing Players

The regulator also confirmed it does not hold information on the percentage of people who win versus those who lose.

Instead, the UKGC explained that the fairness of games is measured by the Return to Player (RTP) percentage. This is a theoretical average calculated over a significant number of game plays, not on an individual's session. The response noted, "someone could play for 50 spins and not win anything, yet another person could play 5 spins and win every time."

The Commission ensures fairness by requiring that all games are independently audited by an approved test house to verify that they are achieving their designed RTP over time.

Industry Implications

This FOI disclosure underscores a significant data gap in the British gambling landscape. While the UKGC regulates operators and ensures technical game fairness through RTP testing, it does not function as a central statistics agency for player financial outcomes or public health harms.

The new requirement for operators to report suicides is a step towards greater regulatory awareness, but the Commission's own caveats show it will not produce a definitive public figure. For consumers, this reinforces the importance of understanding that RTP is a long-term average for a game, not a guarantee of individual success, and that the full scale of gambling harm remains difficult to quantify through official regulatory channels.