UKGC Report Reveals 4% Decrease in Online Gross Gaming Yield

The gambling regulator in the UK, the Gambling Commission (GC), released a new report probing into how gambling behavior is impacted by the current environment in the country. The new report compared data collected between April and September 2022.

UK Gambling Regulator Releases New Report

The Commission’s data reveals that in the second quarter (Q2) of financial 2022-2023, the online total gross gambling yield (GGY) hit £1.2 billion ($1.44 billion). This result, when compared to Q1 which is the period between April and June, marked a decrease of 4%. The new figures revealed that between Q1 and Q2, the overall number of total bets or spins dipped slightly by 1%. At the same time, the Commission noted that in Q2, the average monthly active accounts decreased by 9% when compared to Q1.

Looking at the length of the sessions, GC’s data reveals that the number of online sessions that lasted more than one hour “remained stable at 8.4 million between Q1 and Q2.” Additional details reveal that approximately 7% of all sessions lasted more than one hour, while the average session length was 17 minutes.

Slots GGY Down 4% For the Second Quarter

The GC noted that a decrease was observed in slots GGY as well. Between Q1 and Q2, slots GGY halted at £548 million ($658.8 million), representing a decrease of 4%. Additionally, the Commission revealed that in Q2, the number of spins halted at 18.5 billion, down by 2% when compared to Q1, 2022. The number of average monthly active accounts decreased in Q2 as well, halting at 3.4 million per month, down by 4%, when compared to the prior period.

Focusing on licensed betting operators (LBOs), the latest report revealed a decrease in GGY. The total GGY for LBOs halted at £540 million ($649.2 million) in Q2, representing a decrease of 8% when compared to the result from Q1. What’s more, the number of total bets and spins reported by LBOs in Q2 decreased by 5% to 3.2 billion.

The Gambling Commission Remains Vigilant

The Commission pointed out multiple expectations it has for the operators. It said that operators need to interact directly with consumers whenever specific thresholds are reached. This, according to GC, needs to be completed in addition to the usual “generic email engagement.”

“We continue to expect extra vigilance from operators as consumers are impacted in different ways by the current economic environment. Many people will feel vulnerable as they face further uncertainty about their personal or financial circumstances,“

explained the Gambling Commission

The regulator urged operators not to “exploit the current situation for marketing purposes, in particular as consumers adjust back to a new normal and be very cautious when seeking to cross-sell products.” The gambling watchdog acknowledged that people are being affected by financial uncertainty and vowed to continue to monitor the market and seek to protect the customers.