UK’s Gambling Commission Releases Participation Figures

Gambling participation significantly dropped by 3.5% to represent 41% of the British population who enjoyed gambling. iGamingBusiness.com, the organisation that carried out the study, also observed a 2.2% decrease in June 2021. It represents 28.3%, excluding National Lottery games.
UK Gambling Commission.
UK’s Gambling Commission Releases Participation Figures

Gambling Commission Findings in Numbers

There is a general drop in gaming numbers across all genders in the United Kingdom. Due to the pandemic, June 2020 was the lowest month as most land-based casinos and Sportsbetting complexes closed down. The figures were almost at par in December 2020.

Retail sports betting had the largest year-on-year decrease in betting numbers from January to May by 7.7%, representing 24.1%. In the same period in 2019, the sector grew to 34.9%, which is an all-time high. However, online gambling rose from 16.8% to 17.6%.

On the flip side, the online National Lottery is the only gambling venture to grow. It grew by 2.4% to reach a 13.8% coverage. The growth is a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced punters to bet from home.

The National Lottery was the largest gambling platform during this pandemic by 26.3%. However, the figures were lower compared to the 2019 and 2020 findings in the same period. It means that gamers bought fewer scratch cards by a 7.4 margin.

Other gambling platforms such as the sportsbook recorded a 5.5% gaming coverage, while horse race wagering had 3.2%. Online slots and iGaming had 3.7% and 1.1%, respectively.

Statistics on Gambling Related Problems

The survey also witnessed a drop in the number of persons undergoing gambling related problems. There was a 1.1% fall in the year-to-year statistics to 3.1%, which is almost the same compared to the December 2020 survey. Those at risk of falling into the same condition also fell by 1.4% to 0.7% of the active gambling population.

The Modalities of the Survey

iGamingBusiness.com carried out the survey using random phone calls. The aim is to get information from diverse corners.

The survey ran between January to May 2021, with some comparison with the December 2020 survey.

National lottery games, sportsbooks, Bongo, horse racing and iGaming, are the gambling games used in the study.

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Joshua Rawlings Written by Joshua Rawlings
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