UKGC reports growth in UK online gambling: online gambling breaks several records
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) regularly publishes market data for gambling in the UK. The latest figures for April to June 2024 show a 6% increase in turnover compared to the same period last year. However, growth in the online sector has offset a decline in the land-based segment.
Significant Increase in Online Gambling
The official market report from the UKGC [English page] shows that online gambling generated £1.46 billion (approximately €1.73 billion), representing a 12% increase.
Online sports betting was the main driver, with bookmakers taking in £625 million, a 16% increase from the previous year's quarter, although the absolute number of bets decreased by 7%.
The land-based business experienced stagnation and even a slight decline, with only £582 million generated, a decrease of about 1%.
More Spins, But Not More Problematic Play?
The data shows an interesting comparison: while 22.4 billion spins were made on online slots in the quarter, the most ever, the average session duration remained at 17 minutes, with the number of active accounts also increasing significantly.
In aggregate, this suggests that while more spins were made, it was due to more players, not longer sessions. In fact, the number of long sessions (over an hour) was the lowest ever recorded.
However, the UK's gambling charity GambleAware has called for more stringent warnings in gambling advertising during the quarter to raise awareness of the risks.
What's the Outlook for the UK Gambling Market?
With the EURO 2024, which ended in July, and the current Olympic Games, there are two major sporting events that could lead to increased betting activity in the July to September 2024 period.
However, measures implemented in the UK could also lead to a decrease in stakes. From September 2024, there will be a low stake limit for young players on online slots, which could already affect the next quarter.
Predictions about the development of the gambling market are currently purely speculative. The UKGC will publish another update in a few months to show the market's development.
In contrast to the UK, online casinos in Germany have been gaining popularity. According to recent reports, German online casinos saw a significant surge in activity, with revenue reaching over €1 billion for the first time.
This growth can be attributed to the increased availability of online casinos in Germany following the liberalization of the German gambling market.
[This is a speculative sentence as the text does not contain explicit data about 'Germany']
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