Online Gambling Takes the Lead in UK, UKGC Reveals
Published November 30, 2016 by Lee R
Online gaming is now the best way for operators to give back to society as well.
In an epochal industry update, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed that online gambling is now Britain’s largest online gambling sector, with one third of all wagers processed digitally.
The Figures
That’s right: UKGC has published industry statistics tracking the period of April 2015 to March 2016 revealing that the UK’s total digital take in Gambling Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) of £4.5 billion overtook the totals of the National Lottery GGY (£3.4 billion) and retail bookmakers (£3.3 billion).
Online Leaders
Of the online take, the UKGC revealed that £2.6 billion came from online casino games with online slot machine-style games along with £1.8 billion from online slots.
Increasing Safety
UKGC Commission Programme Director James Green attributes the breakthrough to the industry’s “increasingly...creative approach to using technology to engage consumers,” calling for equal innovation to be used to keep customers safe as is invested in engagement.
More to Work With
More interesting totals include the fact that Britain’s gambling industry generated a total GGY of £13.6 billion between that measured period of April 2015 and March 2016
Good Cause Contribution
Further, the betting on the National Lottery brought £1.8billion to good causes, up 7.2% from the previous year, and large society lotteries further raised a total of £208m (10.5% year-on-year).
Call for Evidence
The report comes as part of a campaign called Call for Evidence. Launched by the UK government late in October as part of its triennial review of the country’s gambling industry, the review calls for UK-licensed operators to provide officials with information about their operations through December 4.
Tackling the Issues
The governmental review will seek to inform the adaptation of new topical regulations, such as the management of fixed-odds betting terminals in betting shops.
Preventative Addiction Initiatives
The UKGC report also comes in a time in which the UK is taking a proactive stance on addiction, involving the implementation of a series of initiatives to encourage operators enhance addiction prevention among customers.
Giving Back Better
With online GGY now the leader, websites are the ideal place to increase engagement as well as stave off addiction. With online websites earning more, the opportunities for online gambling to help society are more numerous than ever as well.
