UK online betting and gaming growth slows in 2021
UKGC figures reveal a 19% decrease in gross gambling yield from December 2020 to February 2021
UK online operators posted a 19% decrease in gross gambling yield (GGY) for the first two months of 2021, according to the latest data from the UKGC.
After recording a collective £613.6m in GGY for December, UK operators posted £495m in January and February, driven by a decrease in both active bettors and operator margins for sports betting.
In fact, from December 2020 to February 2021, sports betting GGY plummeted by nearly £100m, from £319.6m to £234.5m.
Slots and other casino games also saw GGY fall away from their December peaks.
Slots GGY dropped 3% from £199.7m in December to £193.9m in January, before falling a further 9% to hit £176.9m in February.
Casino games GGY initially decreased 2% in January from £74m to £72.7m, before dropping 12% to £64.3m in February.
After initial growth in GGY from December to January, lockdown star verticals esports and poker recorded decreases moving into February.
Esports GGY leapt 27% from December to January, hitting £1.68m, before falling 7% to £1.57m in February.
Similarly, poker GGY grew 13% in January to £10.6m before dropping off by 12% in February to £9.3m.
The UKGC also confirmed a 4% decrease in active accounts and a 6% drop-off in total bets across the two-month period.
The UKGC said that against the backdrop of Covid-19, operators should continue to be vigilant against potential gambling-related harm, despite the decrease in GGY and active users.
The UKGC said: “We know that some consumers, such as highly engaged gamblers who play a range of products, are likely to spend more time and money gambling and the fact that sport will continue during this lockdown will mean there are more opportunities for betting customers to gamble.”
The data is garnered from the UK’s biggest operators, covering approximately 80% of the sector.