GambleAware reveals 5% of UK accounts generate 70% of GGY

GambleAware, a charity whose mission is to protect people from gambling harm, has published its findings from an interim study, which reveals that 5% of online gambling accounts in the UK generate 70% of the country’s gross gambling yield (GGY).

Troubling news for iGaming affiliates

The research was conducted between July 2018 and July 2019. GambleAware commissioned the study to provide stakeholders with more knowledge on the behaviours and habits of gambling customers. Professors Ian McHale and David Forrest, from the University of Liverpool, ran the study.

The main conclusion drawn from GambleAware’s research was that a small proportion of online accounts were responsible for a large proportion of the gross gambling yield in Great Britain. This indicates that problem gamblers generate a significant amount of capital for the iGaming industry.

Safer gambling must remain a priority

GambleAware revealed its findings in a press release. Some of their key points include:

• The 5% of online accounts with the highest losses generated a minimum of 70% of Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in each of betting, virtual casinos, live casinos, and slots.
• 7% of accounts used for betting (representing approximately 60,000 accounts among participating operators) and 1.2% of accounts used for gaming (representing approximately 47,000 accounts among participating operators) lost £5,000 or more over the course of the year.
• 85% of accounts used for betting spent less than £200 on betting over the year between July 2018 and June 2019, while 90% of ‘gaming’ accounts had either an overall win or loss of less than £500 for the same period.

This is deeply troubling news for iGaming affiliates. As such, they need to focus on understanding and identifying vulnerable customers, ensuring they are being socially responsible.