The latest data published by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) showed some interesting figures, highlighting how the ease of COVID restrictions has affected gambling participation in the UK.
Some of the key conclusions drawn from the most recent survey of the UK regulator include that in-person gambling participation and online gambling participation rates have increased compared to the figures from last year. Meanwhile, problem gambling rates seem to be stable.
Sectors Like National Lottery, Online Slots, and Instant Win Games Indicate Significant Participation Rate Growth
On Tuesday, the UKGC published the latest data from its quarterly phone survey, which was held by Yonder Consulting. The survey was based on the responses of 4,018 adults who are at least 16 years of age and were asked to participate in interviews during December of last year and March, June, and September of this year.
Considering the last two years of ongoing COVID restrictions, the general gambling participation rates are still lower than the pre-pandemic levels. That said, the latest data shows that people have started to get back to in-person gambling as certain pandemic restrictions have been lifted in the last few months. One important takeaway from the survey is that there is a difference in age groups when it comes to the increase in in-person gambling participation. The survey showed that considering the return to land-based gambling, the age group between 16 and 24 was the closest to the numbers before the pandemic.
According to the data released on Tuesday, the trend of increasing online gambling participation among Brits continued to grow, with numbers being significantly higher compared to the figures a year ago. The most prominent growth in gambling participation has been noticed in the National Lottery, Online Slots, and Instant Win sectors.
Numbers Remain Lower than Pre-Pandemic Figures Despite Gambling Particiation Increase
Over the last four weeks, in-person gambling participation in the UK rose to 27%. Meanwhile, online gambling participation has also achieved higher levels in the last year, reaching 27% as well. Even though both sectors show a surge in gambling participation in the last few months, these figures are still lower than the pre-pandemic levels.
The ongoing trend of increasing gambling participation after the ease of restrictions can also be seen in the numbers from the July portion of the survey. During that period, 42.9% of respondents reported having participated in at least one form of gambling in the previous four weeks. Meanwhile, 25.8% of survey participants admitted to having been engaging in online gambling during that period.
While Instant Win games were among the sectors that indicated an increase in gambling participation rates in the last few months, this trend can soon be put to an end. The reason for that is the latest decision of the current National Lottery operator, Camelot Group, to remove games like Monopoly and Scrabble, ultimately lowering the appeal of instant-win titles to individuals under the age of 18.
- Author
Daniel Williams
