Bundesliga led “notable recovery”
New data released by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) shows that gambling during lockdown is on the rise, especially now that restrictions are gradually being eased. The latest information collected from the largest online operators showed a “notable recovery” in sports betting, especially once the German Bundesliga restarted.
customers were more engaged and either bet for longer or gambled with more cash
One interesting takeaway from the data showed a significant increase in real life sports betting although overall participation decreased. This means that customers were more engaged and either bet for longer or gambled with more cash.
UKGC continues to monitor gambling trends
Drawing on previous data sets released in May and June, the UKGC confirmed that the most recent set of figures remained consistent, with a real uptick in sports betting toward the end of May. While it originally fell a little at the start of the month, it soon rose by 5% in the latest wave between June 17-18. This corresponds with the return of major sports leagues such as Premier League soccer.
In a statement, the commission observed: “The seven waves of the YouGov survey conducted from 16 April to 18 June show that the past-four-week gambling participation has remained relatively stable, within a range of 28-32%.”
Real events buck the trend
While there was a small decrease of 1.2% in the number of people gambling overall, it was the “real event” sports betting market that truly bucked the trend, recording an increase of 13% across the vertical between April and May. Virtual events were a notable success at the start of lockdown, especially horse racing and the Grand National, in particular.
Once real life sports were back on the table, however, bets on virtual events fell by a whopping 48%.
Meanwhile, it is worth recognizing that both online casino and online poker suffered through lockdown, with casino players falling by around 4%. The survey also recorded that, at the same time, poker players deserted card rooms by as much as 11%.
with the exception of real event betting, there has been a fall in the number of active players for each vertical”
The UKGC added: “Online operator data shows that with the exception of real event betting, there has been a fall in the number of active players for each vertical. Although some of the decreases are relatively small in percentage terms, this is not the case for virtual betting which saw a spike due to the Virtual Grand National in April.”
The commission will now continue to assess the impact of its latest advice to operators. Released in May, it covered the need for improved affordability checks, the prevention of reverse withdrawals, and restrictions on bonus offers during lockdown.