UK Online Gambling Sees Mixed Results in Q3 2023

The UK's online gambling industry has been a topic of interest with the recent announcement of seven new commissioners by the Commission. This development signifies significant changes in the regulatory landscape.

Covering the three months up to September 30, the online total gross gambling yield (GGY) in the UK increased by a slight 0.6%, reaching £1.2 billion. During this period, there was a substantial 10% growth in the overall number of total bets and spins, while the average monthly active accounts increased by 7%.

Despite the overall growth, online real-event betting GGY saw a decline of 5%, dropping to £428 million. The total bets for this vertical decreased by 1%, with active accounts decreasing by 0.2%.

Slots GGY, on the other hand, experienced an 8% increase, reaching £589 million, with the number of spins increasing by 11%. The average monthly active accounts in Q2 also rose by 11%, reaching 3.8 million per month. Interestingly, the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 4% to 9.3 million. However, the average session length decreased to 17 minutes, with approximately 7% of all sessions extending beyond one hour.

The statistics for active numbers showed mixed results throughout the three months, with year-on-year increases and decreases observed in July, August, and September. A similar pattern was also seen in bets per month, with slots experiencing a significant decrease in July but a considerable increase in the following two months.

Licensed betting office GGY saw a decrease of 0.4% in Q2, reaching nearly £539 million compared to the same quarter in the previous year. The total number of bets and spins decreased by 1%, amounting to 3.1 billion.

An area of significant growth in the industry was self-service betting terminals (SSBT). The number of spins in July, August, and September saw impressive increases of 15.5%, 16.3%, and 30%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

This data was collected from the largest operators in the UK, representing approximately 80% and 85% of the online and retail gambling market, respectively.