UK online wagers grow 12% in March

The UK Gambling Commission on Wednesday released new and updated data from online and offline gaming operators for March.

Activity in the online market increased in what is a traditionally busy period due to the Cheltenham Festival, with a growth on February of 17% in active accounts and 12% in bets placed, while gross gambling yield (GGY) increased by 4%.

Slots GGY increased by 15% to nearly £203 million during the period from February to March. The number of bets climbed 12% to near 6.2 billion and active players were up 10% to over 3.2 million. The number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 8% to 2.7 million. The average session length decreased to 20.8 minutes, with 8% of all sessions lasting more than one hour.

The UKGC also published consumer research data for January to March 2021. Among adults who have gambled in the last 12 months, claimed levels of gambling activity show a further increase in the first quarter of 2021 compared to Q4 2020 which can be attributed, at least in part, to the latest lockdown.

18% of past 12 month gamblers say their gambling has increased since the pandemic began, compared to 13% in the previous combined three-month period.