Ongoing growth, same challenges – balance needed
The Gambling Commission (UKGC) has released the latest round of data detailing gambling behaviours in Britain. The data covers findings from brick-and-mortar high street betting shops and online.
Growth
The quarter under examination in this latest report is the 3-month period ending September 2024 – Wave 3 in the UKGC's ongoing gathering and analysis of gambling behaviours in Britain. The overall trend across many metrics is one of growth – with online slots activity leading the way. See below for some of the key numbers (comparisons are against the same period in 2023, not the previous quarter):
- The overall total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) for the quarter was £1.3bn, an increase of 11%.
- Bets/spins increased by 12%.
- Slots GGY went up to £680m, an increase of 16%.
- Spins increased 13%
- Active accounts increased by 16%.
- Online slots sessions lasting an hour or more increased by 9%
A couple of areas in slots activity saw minor reductions:
- Slot spins per session dropped 3.4%.
- GGY for slots per session dropped 1.7%
A notable ‘no change’ criteria is the average online slot session time which remains consistent at 17 minutes (based on data collected from 80% of sites).
Behavioural shift
The LBO (licensed betting operators, i.e. brick and mortar) sector dipped a modest 1% – probably not surprising considering online growth.
What does this tell us?
In essence, a couple of things to be gleaned from these quarterly releases of data:
- The overall industry is experiencing significant growth.
- There is a gradual, but clear, shift to online from LBOs and the overall face-to-face experience.
Challenges and conclusion
Gambling is a national pastime that, despite criticism and earnest handwringing in certain quarters, is here to stay. Revenue generated by the gambling industry is essential to the nation’s coffers.
Conversely, perhaps, the Government, its agencies and other organisations stress the need for responsible gambling and providing support to those impacted by gambling addictions and problems. They need to be seen to ‘protect’ some members of the public from themselves. Obvious parallels can be drawn with the alcohol and tobacco industries.
And in the near future...
There is a clear need to strike an effective, workable balance between helping facilitate a growing industry that employs over 100,000 people and contributes significantly to the national economy while supporting the small proportion of gamblers who run into problems.
Additionally, and more recently to the fore is the ugly reality and lure of unlicensed sites and their dodgy practices. This is where the UKGC and other agencies need to focus their attentions in the immediate future.
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