After the dire consequences of the impact of the Covid-19 restrictions placed upon the country over the last 15 months, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission has just released its ‘Impact Report’ on gambling behaviours.
3% Rise in GGY
In April 2021, the report suggests uptake of 3% in Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) of £560 million compared to March’s £546 million.During April 2021, one of the biggest racing fixtures the Grand National took place which saw an increase in recreational players combined with a mix of active player numbers and structural growth increase.
Grand National Contribution
Including, but not exclusively, the Grand National amongst other events, saw online gamblers hit an all-time high at 12.6 million and sportsbook commanding 6.7 million during April 2021. Despite more activity online during this period, stakes and bets overall too a slight hit with a 2% fall across all categories within the gambling sector.The sports betting sector’s Gross Gambling Yield remained stable at £267 million, which is recorded as the largest increase since December 2020. Another sector deemed with the ‘highest risk’ are slots, this sector also remained stable at £202 million with only a slight decrease of 1% in wagering.Slot sessions lasting longer than one hour decreased by 4% between the month of March and April, the average sessions during this period remained around 40 minutes.
UKGC Warns Operators to Stay Vigilant
Although slot sessions have remained lower than average, the UK Gambling Commission warned, “Operators still need to be mindful about the potential of some consumers to be increasing their spend on some of the more intensive products whilst at the same time engaging in real event betting activity, which was not meaningfully available during the initial lockdown.”