Recent data revealed by the Gambling Commission in the UK outlines that the slots gross gaming yield (GGY) in September decreased by 4% when compared to August. In contrast, sports betting GGY in September marked a 15% increase, reaching £189 million.
Slots GGY in September Reaches New Low Point
Recent numbers by the Gambling Commission in the UK reveal that the gross gaming yield (GGY) for slots reached a new low point in September. The data which the GC revealed represents approximately 80% of the online gambling market.
While GGY remained relatively steady since March, it reached its newest low point halting at £157,4 million in September. This represents a 4% decrease when compared to August this year.
A similar decrease was observed in the total number of slot bets in September. According to the GC, there were 4,9 billion slot bets placed in August while in September this number dropped to 4,7 billion which represents a 4% decrease.
Although GGY and the total number of slots bets have decreased, the number of active players in September increased by 6%. In August, there were some 2,421,090 active players, while in September this number increased to 2,574,716, according to the Commission’s data.
September Marks Positive Results for Sports Betting
Unlike slot games, in September, sports betting marked positive results, according to the GC. With that in mind, undoubtedly, the return of the Premier League boosted the sports betting results. Sports betting GGY in August reached £164 million, while in September an increase of 15% was observed with GGY reaching £189 million.
Furthermore, the total number of sports bets increased in September when comparing month-over-month results. In August, the number of sports bets halted at 235 million, while in September it hit 246 million, representing a 5% month-over-month increase.
Focusing on the number of active players, we observe another month-over-month increase. In August, the active sports betting players reached 3.7 million, while in September this number increased to 4.3 million. This result represents a 14% increase in active players for September.
Total Number of Retail Sessions Increases in September
Changing focus to the session length in online gambling activities, in September we observe the same average length as in August – 21 minutes. In fact, the session length remains the same length of 21 minutes since June.
Looking at the sessions which lasted more than 1 hour in duration, we observe a decrease of 3% in September. In August, the number of online gambling sessions that lasted more than 1 hour hit 2,030,110, while in September they decreased to 1,969,995.
Besides the session length for online gambling activities, the Gambling Commission revealed recent data about retail machine sessions. Outlining that the data covers approximately 85% of the retail betting market, in September, the total number of retail sessions marked an increase of 10%, reaching 8,4 million. In contrast, this number in August halted at 7,6 million sessions.
Another increase was observed in the number of machine game sessions which lasted more than 1 hour. In August, there were 223,118 sessions longer than 1 hour. While in August this number hit 233,505 sessions, representing a 5% month-over-month increase.