UK online sports betting GGY slumps 16% in 2021 final quarter

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) on Thursday published new statistics and data from operators showing the impact that the easing of lockdown measures in Great Britain is having on gambling behavior.

The operator data now adds the period between October and December 2021, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling with data from licensed betting operators (LBOs) found on UK’s high streets.

Online total gross gambling yield (GGY) was just below £421 million ($573.7M) in December, taking Q3 (October to December) GGY to £1.2 billion ($1.63B), a decrease of 6% from Q2 (July to September).

The overall number of total bets/spins increased 4% from Q2 to Q3, while the number of active accounts stayed steady. Slots GGY increased 1% to £568 million between Q2 and Q3. The number of spins increased 3% to 18.2 billion, while the number of active players increased 5% to 9.8 million.

Betting on real events slumped 16% in Q3, with £141.9 million ($193.5M) GGY in December, while betting on esports increased 3% from Q2.

The number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 8% to over 8.1 million between Q2 and Q3. The average session length lasted 19 minutes, with approximately 7% of all sessions lasting more than one hour.

LBO GGY decreased 1% to £533 million between Q2 and Q3, while the number of total bets and spins increased to 3.3 billion.

"We recognise that the country is now entering a different phase as we adjust to life after a series of restrictions," the UKGC stated in a press release Thursday. "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."