UK Gambling facts

We examined the UK Gambling Commission Annual Report and Accounts and prepared an interesting article about UK Gambling facts.

The Gambling Commision regulates the gambling industry in Great Britain, keep gambling fair, safe and crime free by placing consumers at the heart of regulation. As a regulator, they have all facts and numbers available. Now let’s look at most interesting of them.

What kind of gambling market does Britain want? Does the country want gambling to be a constantly growing industry operating within a light-touch regulatory approach? Or, is the public inclined to be less supportive of growth and increasing accessibility, and more supportive of a tightening of regulations?

Evidence indicates that public attitudes to gambling are hardening. The proportion of people who believe that gamblers should be able to gamble whenever they want has dropped from 78% in 2010 to 67% in 2016. Another important indicator of changing public opinion is the proportion of people who believe gambling is dangerous to family life. In 2010 this stood at 62% whereas by 2016 this had risen to 69%. Finally, the proportion of the population who believe that gambling should be discouraged has risen from 36% in 2010 to 55% in 2016.

From UK Bonus point of view, those numbers are biased as gambling is not and will not be for everyone as motorcycle riding, flying or other hobbies. Another fact found in the annual report is that only 1,2% of all gamblers are so-called problem gamblers. It is a large number and problem gambling is something society should take very serious about but because of some fat kids should we forbid cookies? Education is the key and we should remain people’s right to choose. 

So instead of viewing it as trend and approach to regulation, educating the UK citizens should be prioritised. Asking for tools like self-excluding and limiting funds available for play is totally acceptable and recommended. 

Now let’s take a view on more fun and interesting facts and not make it to a rumble about politics. 

The United Kingdom has 21 million active accounts and is one of largest regulated online gambling markets in the world. Online gaming popularity increases year after year and new interesting products are introduced like eSports which have grown in popularity as convergence between computer games and traditional gambling increases. New technology makes gambling more easily accessible and more fun to consumers.

UK Gambling facts in numbers:

£13.8 bn total gross gambling yield of the Great Britain industry and £4.5 bn for the online and telephone sector. So 32% of all gambling action is online already.

176410 is a total number of gaming machines in Great Britain- the number is decreasing now every year.

Approximately 25 million adults had gambled in the last 4 weeks in Great Britain.

More than 3 million adults had bet on a football match in the last four weeks.

Nearly 9 million adults had gambled online in the last four weeks.

6% of gamblers have self-excluded from playing.

77% of gamblers have not read terms and conditions.

26% of gamblers like gambling companies on Facebook and 15% of gamblers follow gambling companies on Twitter.