Great Britain's Rebound May Very Well be Illusory
Published November 24, 2020 by Lee R
Like elsewhere, the UK industry can only recover once Covid is brought under control.
Great Britain has rebounded with a positive month.
Breaking the Streak
New UKGC Gambling Commission data indicates gambling revenue growth in Great Britain for September after consecutive months of decline in the market, according to Gambling Commission data.
Prominent Data
Data from the UK's major operators representing an 80% share of the online market indicated a 3% increase in online gambling gross gambling yield (GGY) month-on-month for September to reach £420m ($552.5m).
Conflicting Momentum
These gains were achieved despite total bets decreasing 4%, with the number of active accounts rising 7% from August.
Premier League's Short Boost
Last month's rebound is largely attributed to September's welcoming back of the English Premier League, which saw sports betting GGY rise by 15% up to £189.7m, after a 21% summer break decrease for August.
The amount of bets placed rose by 5% while the amount of active players increased by 14% for the sportsbetting vertical, even while declines emerged in the GGY other verticals, including online slots (4% down to £157.4m), for the pandemic era's lowest total since March.
Other Verticals Dropping
More UK vertical losses were visible in casino games (5% drop to £56.6m); poker (down 5%, to £7.9m); virtual sports betting (GGY down 9% to £6.1m for September after a summer boom; an esports ( down £1.3m to 28%, after a 29% decrease the previous month).
Negative Lockdown Factor
The declines are more likely than not to continue, as the Gambling Commission acknowledges:
“Gambling behaviours have continued to evolve as the country responds to varying levels of restrictions and we will remain vigilant in light of new national lockdowns announced in recent weeks.”
Uncertainty Still Prevails
“Evolve” is quite a euphemism for what is really taking place in the UK, where Covid numbers are spiraling upwards. This new rebound is thrown into doubt due to the uncertainty of the proceedings in the UK itself.
Outlook
Lockdowns are no harbinger of hope at this point, and the UK gaming industry looks destined to scrape for rebounds in its key sports betting vertical and any others that gain new traction for whatever reason in an era that for the foreseeable future otherwise looks like it will challenge regional vertical earnings.
