UK Internet gambling participation reaches its highest level in four years

Driven by the National Lottery, remote gambling participation increased to 9.9% for the year to March 2009, compared to 9.7% in 2008, 8.8% in 2007 and 7.2% in 2006.

The growth in remote gambling is once again explained largely by increased online participation in the National Lottery. Excluding those who play National Lottery games remotely via the Internet, mobile or interactive TV, 5.6% of respondents said they had participated in remote gambling during the year, the same number as in 2008. This compares to 5.2% in 2007 and 5.1% in 2006.

Those participating in remote gambling remain more likely to be male, with 12.2% of men having played remotely versus 7.7% of women, with the most active age group being 25–34 years old at 15.9% of respondents in the age range.

Internet gambling continues to be the most popular method of remote gambling participation at 8.2% of all respondents, up from 7.8% last year, while mobile gambling ranked the second most popular with 2.8% of adults participating, slightly down on last year's 2.9%. Interactive TV remained stable with 2.1% of respondents participating.

Of those participating in at least one form of remote gambling during the year, 43.5% had gambled only on National Lottery games.

Tickets for the National Lottery draw again were the most popular remote gambling activity undertaken during the year with 7.5% of respondents, followed by sports betting with 2.6%. National Lottery scratchcards were the next most popular with 2.4% of respondents, with poker rooms and other lotteries at 1.8% and 1.6%, and casino and bingo at 1.0% and 1.1% respectively.

The Gambling Commission survey, conducted by ICM Research, polls a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults once each quarter, with the results presented as an annual figure by averaging the results of four quarterly surveys.