Online activity makes up largest proportion of UK gambling yield, UKGC stats reveal

Online casino, betting and bingo now makes up the highest proportion of gross gambling yield in the UK, Gambling Commission statistics have revealed.

The online sector accounts for 35% of GGY, with retail betting 24%, national lottery 22%, casinos 8%, bingo 5%, and both arcades and large society lotteries making up 3%.

The statistics, which detail the period from October 2016 to November 2017, reveal that the overall gross gambling yield throughout that time increased 0.7% from the period of Apr 2016 – Mar 2017 to £13.9 billion.
In spite of this, the number of people employed in the industry reduced by 0.8%, something that will in no small part be down to the fact that the number of shops in the industry reduced by 3.2%. The knock on effect was felt throughout the retail industry as the number of gaming machines in the UK sector also reduced, something that will inevitably continue as the government has confirmed that the maximum stakes on fixed odds betting terminals will be cut to £2.

UKGC UK Gambling Statistics – Headline Findings

• £13.9bn total gross gambling yield (GGY) of the Great Britain gambling industry (0.7% increase from Apr 2016 – Mar 2017)
• £4.9bn total GGY for the online sector (3.7% increase from Apr 2016 – Mar 2017)
• 35% market share of the remote sector (1.0% increase from Apr 2016 – Mar 2017)
• 106,366 total number of employees in the Great Britain gambling industry (0.8% decrease from Mar 2017)
• 8,532 total number of betting shops in Great Britain (3.2% decrease from Mar 2017)
• 183,928 total number of gaming machines in Great Britain (0.7% decrease from Apr 2016 – Mar 2017) (excludes those requiring only a local authority permit)
• 649 total number of bingo premises in Great Britain (Mar 2018) (2.0% increase from Mar 2017)
• 152 total number of casino premises in Great Britain (Mar 2018) (2 more than Mar 2017)
• 1,810 total number of licensed arcades in Great Britain (Mar 2018) (3.5% decrease from Mar 2017).