UK: Non-remote companies still hold majority share

In its latest set of industry figures, the body said that the British gambling industry generated a total gross gambling yield (GGY) of almost US$ 11.4 billion in the period between October 2012 and September 2013, excluding the National Lottery.

The figure represents an increase of around US$ 431.5 million on the previous period between April 2012 and March 2013. Non-remote betting retained its position as the most popular form of gambling in Great Britain having generated US$ 5.6 billion in GGY, a 48% of total GGY in the period.

The non-remote casino sector followed with just under US$ 1.8 billion in GGY, 16% of the market, while remote operators also generated just under US$ 1.8 billion in GGY, holding a market share of 16%. However, while remote operators still continue to lag behind their on-shore counterparts, GGY from remote companies jumped by US$ 217.5 million in comparison with the previous period, which is more than half of the total GGY increase experienced by the industry.

GGY attributed to remote operators is now almost double the US$ 1 billion generated in the period from April 2009 to March 2010. Of all the market areas, only the non-remote arcades and bingo sectors experienced falls in GGY in the most recent period. 

The Gambling Commission also noted that since the end of the previous reporting period, the number of active licensed betting offices in the British market declined by 45. In addition, the total number of people employed across the industry stands at 104,137, a decrease of 3% in comparison with the previous period.