Great Britain: Data shows the impact of Covid-19 on gambling behaviour in September 2020

The online market grew, with a month-on-month increase of 3% in gross gambling yield (GGY), and a 7% increase in active accounts. The main driver for this was real event betting – which saw 15% growth in GGY and a 14% increase in active accounts – and is likely to have been boosted by the return of Premier League football

The average session length for online slots remained steady at 21 minutes. There was a 3% decrease in the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour

Licensed betting operators also experienced month on month growth across some metrics, with increases of 7% in bets/spins placed and 11% in GGY (to £187m) likely to be impacted by the re-opening of all shops and the return of the Premier League

At the same time, we are releasing further consumer research which shows the broader impact of Covid-19 on people and provides further insights into why some people have increased or decreased their gambling activity since the first lockdown

Gambling behaviours have continued to evolve as the country responds to varying levels of restrictions and we will remain vigilant in light of new national lockdowns announced in recent weeks.

In the last week, we have written to operators to remind them of the guidance we initially issued in May to online operators – setting out the need for improved affordability checks, the prevention of reverse withdrawals and restrictions on bonus offers. This was reinforced for land-based premises in June when they were allowed to reopen.
 

Assessing the impact of the strengthened guidance issued to operators
Collecting and publishing the data being gathered
Supporting the industry as land-based premises begin to open
Where evidence identifies additional risks faced by consumers, taking further action to protect consumers.