Q3 results reported by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) have slipped by 2 percent to ￡1.2 billion.

Gambling yield

Online betting and gaming is made up primarily (around 85 percent)? of sector leaders.? An analysis of data released by the sector shows that betting and casino revenues have dipped by 8 percent. Gross gambling yield was reported at ￡446 million. The number of bets increased by 21 percent year on year and an increase in monthly accounts was also reported up by 20 percent YoY.

Event betting increased by 17 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year.? The number of customers were reported at 17.3 million when compared to the previous year at 14.5 million.

Land based sector reports growth

Gross gaming yield for local UK betting operators increase by 5 percent to ￡560 million. Land-based outlets reported a rise in bets by 2 percent to ￡3.4 billion.

The increase in land-based gambling is likely to have been impacted by the popularity of the football World Cup.

Online sports wagering declined by 41 percent from 726,538 to 425,708. A breakdown of these figures indicated that 139.5 million bets were placed over the counter while 35.1 billion bets were via self service betting terminals. The figures from fixed odds betting terminals increased slightly from 3.1 billion to 3.2 billion YoY.

Increase in gaming slots and spins

Gross gaming yield on slots increased by 2 percent to 582 million. There was an increase in the number of spins by 8 percent to 19.7 billion.? Monthly active accounts were reported at 3.7 million, an increase by 13 percent YoY. The average session length was 17 minutes, down two minutes from one year earlier. The number of slots lasting over an hour saw an increase by 11 percent to a record of over 9 million.

6.5 per cent of all sessions lasting in excess of one hour during Q3, the lowest percentage recorded since we started collecting data in March 2020” UK Gambling Commission

A decline by 10 percent to 2.9 million was reported in the number of customer interactions when compared to the same period in 2022 although the number of direct interactions by operators increased by 32 percent for the same period.

Gambling Act Review

The recent publication of the UK’s football white paper is a landmark step forward for the sector.? Stakeholders are still eagerly awaiting the publication of the UK gambling white paper.

We continue to expect vigilance from operators as consumers are impacted in different ways by the current economic environment. Many people will feel vulnerable as they face further uncertainty about their personal or financial circumstances” – UK Gambling Commission

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