Report: UK gambling activity falls for second consecutive year
Latest data from the UKGC shows 41.6% of people gambled in the four weeks leading up to June 2021, down from 46% in 2019
The number of people gambling in the UK has fallen for the second year in succession, according to the latest data from the UK Gambling Commission.
In the year to June 2021, overall participation in gambling activity fell to 41.6%, down from 45.1% in 2020 and 46% in 2019.
The most popular form of gambling in the UK remains the National Lottery, with the vertical accounting for 26.3% of gambling activity.
Other types of lotteries amounted to 12.1% of activity while scratchcards made up 7.4%.
Rounding out the top five most popular verticals, sports betting accounted for 5.5% of activity and online slots represented 3.7%.
Despite the overall downturn in gambling, online gambling in the year to June 2021 actually increased from 21.9% in 2020 to 24.7%.
The UKGC noted this upturn was due to the transition of lottery players from retail to online and the introduction of instant-win lottery games online.
In terms of in-person gambling, activity dropped significantly from 31.8% in 2020 to 24.1% in 2021, with Covid-19 restrictions having caused significant disruption to the retail industry.
The frequency with which people are betting increased slightly year-on-year, with 25% of respondents gambling more than two days a week compared to 23.4% in 2020.
Elsewhere, the problem gambling rate in the country fell across all age demographics bar 55- to 65-year-olds, with the overall rate dropping from 0.5% in 2020 to 0.4% in 2021.
The survey was conducted by Yonder Consulting over the telephone throughout the year, with the UKGC noting the data that had been collected was during some element of lockdown or restricted social activity.
The UKGC said it would publish its next set of quarterly participation results in October 2021.