Legislation
UK – Gambling Commission publishes data showing online impact of easing lockdown measures
By Lewis - 25 August 2020
The Gambling Commission has published data showing how the easing of Covid-19 lockdown measures has impacted online gambling behaviour.
As the country moves out of full lockdown, the Commission has said that despite changes in gambling behaviours there is still justification for its updated guidance to operators including improved affordability checks, the prevention of reverse withdrawals and restrictions on bonus offers.
The latest online data – which covered the period where lockdown restrictions began to ease – shows that the gambling market has entered a new phase which presents potentially changing risks from gambling harm.
Data provided by operators shows a Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) increase of 115 per cent for online real event betting between May and June (rising to £217.5m), with GGY higher during June than at average pre-lockdown levels.
The data indicates the release of pent-up demand, particularly for football-related betting and should be seen in the context of the lack of availability or reluctance of some consumers to bet in LBOs.
A number of player-friendly attributes in June included the high frequency of fixtures following the return of top flight football, some live free-to-air television coverage, and favourable timings in terms of matches being spread out during the day and evening.
Despite a one per cent increase in the number of online slots players since May, the same period saw a five per cent decrease in the total number of slots spins (bets), with a corresponding 10 per cent decline in loss per active player.
Loss per player figures are still significantly higher for slots than for any other online gambling activity, with an average monthly loss of £68 for slots versus £54 for real event betting and £37 for casino during June.
The number of online gambling products played by individual consumers continues to decrease slightly as the Covid-19 crisis evolves from its peak earlier in the year, although players are still more engaged than they were in March 2019 – the figure for those engaged in more than one activity is down from 41 per cent in April to 35 per cent in June.
In light of the challenges and changes brought about by the Covid-19 crisis, we have been clear that we expect operators to identify and interact with consumers where necessary. Since the Gambling Commission issued additional guidance to operators in May, the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour decreased by five per cent in the month to June (from 2,085,023 to 1,987,121).
Between May and June, the number of customer interactions undertaken rose by 12 per cent (from 760,48 to 849,428), although within that number the majority were automated in nature. Operator data indicates that during June, 6 per cent of those interactions reported were direct contact from staff.
The Gambling Commission added that it will continue to collect and report on the data going forward.
