British online gambling revenue falls slightly in Q3

The Gambling Commission’s latest data report shows online gambling revenue fell by 6 per cent from the previous quarter.

The Gambling Commission has released its data on online gambling revenue for the three months from October 1 to December 31 2021, reporting a 6 per cent decline in gross gambling yield (GGY) to £120bn. The decline was due to a drop in real event betting GGY, which fell by 16 per cent sequentially.

Real event betting generated revenue of £460.7m, a perhaps unexpected fall considering that Q2 had featured several big sporting events, including the tail end of Euro 2020.

Meanwhile, online slots GGY rose by 1 per cent to £568.1m and GGY from other online casino games rose 4 per cent to £173.3m. Poker GGY reached £19.9m.

The Gambling Commission reported 32.7 million active accounts across all verticals and 20.24 billion bets – an increase of 4 per cent sequentially. The average session length in Q4 was 18.7 minutes, and 8.1 million sessions lasted under an hour.

For December alone, GGY reached £420.5m, with slots achieving their highest yield since May 2021 at £200.2m. Real-event betting generated £142m and other casino games £62.7m.

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.”

Earlier this week, the Gambling Commission published its latest research on gambling experiences in Britain. It highlighted an increase in esports betting and differing findings on the impact of free bets and free slot spins on players.

Focusgn.com