UK Gambling Commission data highlights limited impact of Covid-19 on industry

The British Gambling Commission has released new statistics collected from its licensees covering April to September 2020.

The figures show total gross gambling yield (GGY) of £5.89bn for the six-month period.

The largest combined sector by GGY during the period was remote (or online) gambling. With £3.1bn GGY, it comprised 52.3 percent of the overall market. Online casino dominated the segment, generating £1.94bn in GGY, mostly from slots games.

The second largest sector, The National Lottery brought in £1.61bn in GGY. Sports betting represented the next largest vertical, with its online and land-based sectors bringing in £1.04bn and £629.3m respectively.

The land-based sector suffered during the period due to closures and other restrictions bought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Land-based casinos brought in just £67m over the six months, compared to £1.02bn during the full year from April 2019 to March 2020.

Similarly, land-based bingo, generated £92m compared to £575.2m between April 2019 and March 2020. By contrast, GGY from online bingo was up 6.2 percent to £98.1m.

The number of active casinos in Britain fell from 156 to 131 between March and September, while the number of bingo premises declined from 648 to 601.