Online play up by 4% in latest UKGC report
Lockdowns and sporting schedule changes cause a significant impact on gross gambling yield in the UK in 2020 and 2021
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has highlighted the pandemic’s effects on both online and retail-based gambling, with gross gambling yield decreasing during lockdowns and amid upheaval to the sporting calendar.
The report noted total online gross gambling yield (GGY) was just below £421m in December, taking Q3 (October to December) GGY to £1.2bn, a decrease of 6% from Q2 (July to September). However, the total bets/spins increased 4% from Q2 to Q3, while active accounts stayed steady.
The number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 8% to over 8.1 million between Q2 and Q3. The report found that the average session time lasted 19 minutes, with an approximation of 7% of sessions lasting more than an hour.
In the report, the UKGC observed that during Q2-Q3 2021, online real event betting declined by 16% to a gross gambling yield (GGY) of £461m, while active players fell by 5% during this period, yet the number of bets increased by 4%.
Meanwhile, the total GGY generated by betting shops in the same period decreased by 1% to £533m, although the number of bets placed and slot spins increased to 3.3 billion, while the number of player accounts remained steady.
The pandemic was most badly hit by retail, which was not in operation between March and June 2020. Even after restrictions were lifted towards the end of June, high-street outlets still faced limits on how long players could remain on the premises and the number of people allowed at any one time.
Towards the back end of 2020, the government took a regional lockdown approach which affected retail spaces, with betting shops in different parts of the UK subject to different restrictions, which led to varying levels of turnover.
Slot gaming appeared to be the primary beneficiary in Q2 and Q3 2020, with the number of spins increasing 3% to 182 billion and the number of active players rising 5% to 9.8 million.
The UKGC commented on the commercial impact of the national reopening, stating: “We recognise that the country is now entering a different phase as we adjust to life after a series of restrictions.”
When talking about the responsibility operators had towards their customers following the after-effects of the pandemic, the regulator added: “We continue to expect extra vigilance from operators as consumers are impacted in different ways by the circumstances brought on by the pandemic and the wider economic environment.
“Many people will still feel vulnerable as a result of the length of the pandemic period, further uncertainty about their personal or financial circumstances or readjusting budgets and time as life returns to normal with a wider set of finance drivers.”