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Strategy

National Strategic Assessment 2020

This report sets out our latest assessment of the issues we face and the risks that gambling poses to consumers and the public

Published
6 November 2020

Last updated
27 May 2021 - Changes

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  1. Contents
  2. The place where gambling is occurring
  3. Accessibility of online gambling

Accessibility of online gambling

The decline in premises-based gambling has coincided with an increase in online gambling. In 2016, 17% of adults reported they had gambled online in the past four weeks; that had increased to 21% in 201928. . Data from our industry stats shows the growth in remote gambling GGY by sector as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11 - Showing increased growth in remote gambling by sector since 2014

If extrapolated, our latest data, equates to 11 million adults having gambled online in the last 4 weeks.

As figure 12 shows, 50% of online gambling now takes place on a mobile phone 24.

Figure 12 - Showing increased growth of gambling by mobile phone

The emergence of online gambling, in particular mobile gambling means consumers have far greater access to a wider range of gambling products. Many large online licensees provide a one-stop shop for gambling facilities incorporating betting, casino games (live and virtual), slot games, bingo and poker all accessible from a single app. 56% of online gamblers have more than one gambling account and on average they have 3 accounts 29.

In 2019 we asked our Advisory Board for Safer Gambling (ABSG) and the Digital Advisory Panel (DAP) to review and advise our ongoing work and future approach to tackling online gambling harms. Their recommendations for priority actions included addressing the risks of game design and habit- forming apps, making more use of data through a ‘single customer view’ and harnessing the use of ad tech to reduce vulnerable adult and children’s’ exposure to online gambling advertising'.

References

28 Gambling participation in 2019 behaviour awareness and attitudes (opens in new tab)

29 Gambling participation in 2019 behaviour awareness and attitudes Sourced from here – via Online tracker (opens in new tab)

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