Statistics and research release
Market overview - operator data July 2021 (published September 2021)
An overview of the data provided by gambling operators up to July 2021.
Summary
Also published recently
This release contains incorrect information provided by an operator and should be read with caution. We advise users to refer to the most recent COVID-19 data release, which contains corrected data.
Details
Operator Data
The Gambling Commission has published data for July 2021, with the dataset collected since March 2020 showing online gambling behaviour has changed over the period.
Further easing of lockdown came into effect from 19 July. The dates for the reopening of retail from the most recent lockdown were:
- 12 April - Licenced betting operators
- 17 May - Arcades, bingo, and casinos
July also marked the end of the delayed 2020 Euros tournament which ended 11 July and the beginning of the 2020 Olympics which commenced 23 July.
Operators still need to be mindful about the potential of some consumers to be increasing their spend on some of the more intensive products while at the same time still engaging in real event betting activity.
We will begin to publish LBO data in due course.
Online gambling
The online gambling data, collected from the largest online operators, now covers the months March 2020 through to July 2021.
Year-on-year comparisons are not advised due to the differing circumstances affecting both years. For example, retail was in operation until 20 March in 2020, but fully closed in March 2021.
Despite strong real event betting margins again this month, total GGY decreased by 8% (to just over £456m) between June and July.
The overall number of total bets/spins increased 5% from June to July, while the number of active playersi stayed steady.
We will continue to collect and monitor the data to inform our views of risk.
Online real event betting
Online real event betting GGY decreased 19% between June and July, to just below £197m. The number of bets (-7%) and active players (-2%) both decreased between June and July, potentially reflecting the end of the 2020 Euros tournament in July which meant a lower number of matches in July than at the start of the tournament in June.
Online slots
Slots GGY increased 4% to just above £187m between June and July. The number of active players increased 1% to over 3.1m, while number of spins increased 6% to 5.9bn.
Safer gambling indicators
The number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 4% to over 2.4m between June and July. The average session length remained at 19 minutes, with 8% of all sessions lasting in excess of one hour during July.
The number of customer interactions in July increased 1% to slightly more than 1m, with the majority remaining automated in natureii. The number of direct interactions undertaken by operators decreased by 4%.
Notes
i This is the total number of times activity has taken place across all verticals; therefore, an active account may be counted more than once.
ii Some operators may have revised their algorithms.
Data and downloads
There are no files for this release.
Feedback
We are always keen to hear how these statistics are used and would welcome your views on this publication.