The latest gambling behaviour report released by the Gambling Commission covered activity in January, February and March 2023, including the Cheltenham Festival horse racing event.
The Commission stated that the increase in online GGY (Gross Gambling Yield) was primarily driven by growth in real event betting and slots.
Online real event betting saw a significant increase of almost 13%, reaching £555m. The number of bets also rose by 19%, and average monthly active accounts increased by 9% year-on-year.
Online slots GGY experienced a slight growth of 2%, amounting to £525m. This was supported by a 9% rise in the number of spins, totaling 19.5 billion, and a 15% increase in average monthly active accounts, reaching 3.9 million.
On the other hand, online casino GGY declined by 4% to £153m, virtual betting decreased by 3% to £12m, and online poker fell by 7% to £18m. Esports betting remained steady at £2m.
When examining land-based activity, the total GGY for this sector increased by 6% year-on-year to £585m. Gaming machine GGY rose by 5% to £292m, with the average spend per session increasing to £12.26. The average number of spins per machine session also increased to 131 spins, and 3% of all machine sessions lasted for more than one hour.
The popularity of self-service betting terminals continued to grow, with GGY rising by 28% to £125m. The Commission also noted a 28% rise in the number of bets placed on terminals, reaching 37 million. However, over-the-counter GGY decreased by 5% to £167m, with the number of bets falling by 4% to 138 million.
