GC data shows slight decrease in online gambling in final months of 2021
Data released by the GB Gambling Commission has shown a slight decrease in online gambling revenue during the period of October to December 2021 when compared to the prior quarter, mostly due to a significant decline in betting.
Gross gambling yield (GGY) for the time period – the third quarter of 2021 – came to £1.20bn, down 6% from Q2. There were 32.7 million active accounts across all verticals during the quarter, which placed 20.24 billion bets during that time – up 4% from Q2.
Slot game GGY came to £568.1m, a 1% increase from the previous quarter.
Other online casino games added £173.3m, up 4%, while poker GGY was £19.9m.
However, real event betting suffered a 16% decrease to £460.7m. The previous quarter had included a number of major sporting events, such as the latter stages of Euro 2020.
The average session length during the quarter was 18.7 minutes, with 8.1 million sessions lasting less than an hour.
For December 2021, total online GGY came to £420.5m. Slot GGY reached £200.2m, the highest figure since May 2021. Real-event betting had GGY of £142.0m during the month, while the figure for other casino games was £62.7m.
During December, 1.05 billion retail bets or spins were placed, with the online market contributing an additional 7.10bn.
Gambling sessions lasted 18 minutes on average in December. Out of a total 45.1 million sessions, 2.8 million lasted less than an hour.
Regarding the statsitics, the Gambling Commission said: “We recognise that the country is now entering a different phase as we adjust to life after a series of restrictions. We continue to expect extra vigilance from operators as consumers are impacted in different ways by the circumstances brought on by the pandemic and the wider economic environment.
“Many people will still feel vulnerable as a result of the length of the pandemic period, further uncertainty about their personal or financial circumstances or readjusting budgets and time as life returns to normal with a wider set of finance drivers.”
The initial data supplied for the Covid-19 gambling statistics proved to be wrong after it was found that operator William Hill was supplying the Gambling Commission with incorrect information. This, the GC said, could lead to “regulatory consequences”.