UK Gambling Industry Achieves Record-Breaking Revenue

The United Kingdom Gambling Commission published the latest figures which show the trends on the UK market and reveal the sectors dominating the industry.

From October 2015 to September 2016, gambling industry achieved a record-breaking gross gaming revenue of £13.8 billion. That’s 3% more money when compared to April 2015 – March 2016 period.

Online Still Number One

Online gambling led the way second reporting period in a row. iGaming and sports betting recorded a gross gaming revenue of £4.5 billion – 7.1% more than in previous reporting period.

Online gambling in the UK was regulated in 2005 and over the next few years managed to achieve a stable growth. The original Gambling Act of 2005, whose introduction regulated online gambling, was amended three years ago and since then all operators are required to have a valid license issued by the UK Gambling Commission.

Since the regulation of online gambling, we’ve seen the introduction of 15% Point of Consumption Tax. All of this led to the rapid growth of iGaming revenue – from £1.1 (April 2013 – March 2014) to the latest result of £4.5 billion. That is a growth of more than 300%!

What About Brick And Mortar?

When it comes to traditional land-based operations, B2 gambling machines are the largest contributor to gambling industry’s overall result. From October 2015 to September 2016, B2 gambling machines or fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) recorded a gross gaming revenue of £1.8 billion.

FOBTs have been frequently mentioned in media over the past few years, mainly because of their controversial nature. Anti-gambling campaigners have voiced their concerns over the maximum stake, requesting that it should be lowered from £100 to just £2, but such radical move is yet to be taken.

The reason is simple – FOBTs are an important part of the UK gambling industry and any tampering with them could lead to the fall of their profitability.

Sports betting grossed £1.6 billion from October 2015 to September 2016, while both table games and gaming machines recorded a revenue of £1.2 billion. Last, but not the least is bingo, which generated a total of £682.3 million during the last review period.

Less Employees, Less Facilities

The total number of employees in the UK gambling industry, in September 2016, was 106,678, which is a decrease of 0.4% when compared to March 2015.

The total number of betting shops in the UK dropped by 1.4% to 8,788, while the number of bingo premises is now 583 (a decrease of 5.7%). In September 2016, there were 147 casinos in the UK, one less in comparison to March of the same year.