UK gross gambling yield smashes £600m mark for December 2020

UK operators reported online gross gambling yield (GGY) of £613.6m for December 2020, according to the latest figures published by the Gambling Commission (UKGC).

Overall GGY rose 30% on November’s numbers and it marks the highest level recorded by the regulator since it began publishing monthly data at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in March.

The data is garnered from the UK’s biggest operators, covering approximately 80% of the sector.

Online sports betting provided the biggest boost during a period of particularly strong margins and a jam-packed schedule, climbing 53% month-on-month to £319.6m.

Slots GGY in December reached £199.7m following a monthly rise of 11%, while casino gaming also increased by double digits (11%) to £74m.

Poker provided £9.4m of December GGY, while virtual betting (£7.9m), esports betting (£1.3m) and other (£1.7m) made up the remainder of the monthly total.

The data points to an increase in online gambling activity, particularly in gaming, where the number of monthly active players for casino increased by 14% to more than two million amid a 15% climb in the number of bets placed.

The number of active slots players rose by 6%, while bets placed on slots increased by 12%. The operator data also revealed an 11% climb in slot playing sessions lasting longer than one hour. The average slots session length has remained stable throughout the pandemic, however.

Against this backdrop, the UKGC has once again urged operators to be extra vigilant in terms of safer gambling with consumers spending more time at home under lockdown conditions.