After the Premier League has made its return, the sports betting activities in the UK have shown an increase. As the COVID-19 measures have also been relaxed recently, this also contributed to a jump in gambling in the country. These conclusions are based on data recently published by the UK Gambling Commission, covering the gambling activity during the months between March and September.
In addition to the increased sports betting during the recent stressful months of the pandemic, there was also a jump in gamers spending money on loot boxes. The data published by the Gambling Commission showed a 3% jump in sports betting in gross gambling yield (GGY) during the month of September, while the active accounts have also increased by 7%. The Gambling Commission also reported a 15% surge GGY in real event betting and the active accounts were also increasing by 14%, reaching 4.3 million during September. The main reason for the boost is believed to be the return of the Premier League. During the same period, the biggest drop was reported in the eSports field, with betting declining 28% to £1.3 million.
Stress and Boredom as Factors Contributing to Increase in Sports Betting
The UK Gambling Commission is taking into consideration different factors that may have been the cause for the increased gambling in the last few months under the global pandemic. Between March and September, about 46% of the population has reported an increase in stress levels. Meanwhile, during the same months, around 43% of the population experienced more boredom.
Research showed that during the pandemic, gamblers could experience the same increase in stress like people who do not gamble. This is why stress cannot be pointed as a definite factor that contributed to the increase in gambling during the past few months. The Gambling Commission, however, reported that most people resorted to gambling during the months between March and September as they had more free time.
About 119 people of the age of 16 and older participated in the research and about 39% of them attributed the increase of gambling to boredom and 45% to having more free time. Meanwhile, 32% shared that they engaged in gambling activities during the lockdown period as they had nothing else to do.
Players Spend Thousands on Loot Boxes During the Pandemic
As many find playing games as a good way to cope with boredom during the last few months, the government also noted that there was a serious increase in spending money on loot boxes. As people had more time during the lockdown weeks, players spent a lot of money for the chance of unlocking exclusive items that will help them in their favourite games.
The government is yet to do full research on whether loot boxes should be considered a form of gambling but the numbers showing the money spent on loot boxes during the last few months are shocking. As people have more free time during the pandemic, loot boxes have the potential to put many UK players at risk.
The UK Gambling Commission promised to continue monitoring the gambling activity during the pandemic. This will include all of the factors that may lead to concerning levels of increased gambling, with the strict authority getting prepared to take actions if needed.
- Author
Daniel Williams
