The UK is the largest gaming market in Europe, and its legislation can be used as an
example for other countries in the western part of the old continent. The UK is recognized as
one of the mature gambling jurisdictions in Europe, and other countries can follow this model
in terms of transparency of their technical standards, including those for slots, and special
attention to player protection.
Popular types of betting include horse racing and greyhound racing, as well as various
lotteries. In addition, we must emphasize that sports betting in the UK has grown to provide
the largest number of gambling options, from regular to gaming events.
Global turnover and market share of the UK bookmaking business
It is worth turning to statistics.
World situation
The global online gambling market is growing at an incredible rate. Thus, the facts cited by
RBC analysts indicate that in 2003 the gambling industry as a whole earned about 6.5 billion
euros. In 2018, the total revenue was 45 billion euros, and the annual growth was about
10%.
At the same time, online entertainment is also winning back its share. Over the same 15
years, the segment of gambling web clubs increased from 3% to 12%. Analysis of trends shows that in the next 5 years, the value will increase by another 1.5 times and the share of online services to 15%.
The British are breaking records
In Britain, sports betting has been elevated to the status of a national pastime, so the market
here is more active, dynamic, and profitable.
A comparison of France and England, which have approximately the same population –
about 67 million people—is indicative. But in France there are only 15 operators, while in the
UK there are more than a thousand, and the involvement of players is 6 times higher! Thus,
in the British gambling market, even small companies have 6 times more chances to occupy
a niche and actively earn money.
In total, during the reporting period, revenue from organizing and conducting gambling in the
UK increased to 5.3 billion pounds, and the share of the online sector was 37%. Compared
to the previous year, profitability increased by 4.2%.
The size of the UK Bookmaking Market
The largest profits for operators come from online casinos and sports betting.
The shares of income were distributed as follows:
● Web casinos – 54.6% or 2.9 billion pounds.
● Sports betting — 38.7% or £2.1 billion.
● Bingo — 3.1% or £164.8 million.
● Stock betting — 3% or £160.1 million.
● Other gambling — 0.6%.
The popularity of betting is determined by two factors. Firstly, horse racing and greyhound
racing are of considerable value to the British. Some of the events are traditionally attended
even by members of the royal family.
And secondly, online betting is actively spreading. You no longer need to go anywhere or
travel, just log into your personal account from the application on your smartphone. Such
simplification of betting greatly stimulates the development of the industry and allows you to
attract bettors of any age and geography.
In betting, football bets are the leaders in terms of income (£1 billion). According to
bookmakers, on match days, the attendance of bookmakers increased by 50%. Right after
football comes horse racing, which brought in around £610 million for the organizers.
Prospects for the UK Betting Market
Every year, Britons spend more and more on gambling and betting. Money is flowing into the
hands of game organizers, but how long will this trend continue?
As many countries continue to tighten their policies on gambling, the influx of foreign and
investment will be maintained. The share of online gaming will also grow. First of all, due to
the development of technology and cross-platform, and secondly, thanks to internet
marketing.
Therefore, experts expect stable growth of the British gambling and betting markets in the
coming years and recommend investing in these areas.
Measures to Protect Players and Operators
Operators are already required to identify customers whose behaviour on the platform clearly
indicates that they are losing more than they can afford and take appropriate action. To
further improve standards, a more fundamentally developed and risk-based model be
introduced, within which online operators are required to examine a customer’s financial
circumstances in response to certain loss triggers to understand whether their gambling
could cause them harm. The classifications generally be as follows:
● Financial vulnerability: where customers are unable to bear the additional financial
burden of gambling, even with modest levels of deposits;
● Hard gambling: where customers spend significant amounts in a short space of
time, perhaps soon after opening an account;
● Long-term intolerable financial losses: where customers suffer significant losses
over an extended period of time.
Financial Vulnerability
At the moderate loss threshold, the limit will be either £125 net loss per month or £500 net
loss per year. Operators should conduct a financial vulnerability check, taking into account
the types of open source indicators that many already assess regularly, such as criminal
records, average local wealth levels, and debtor register checks.
Wild gambling
Any account with net losses exceeding £1,000 in a 24-hour period will be subject to
enhanced spending scrutiny, which provides a much greater insight into a customer’s
financial position through access to more personalized data that takes into account factors
such as their net income.
Unacceptable financial losses that persist over a long period
Unusually high losses over a period of weeks or months are also sufficient to raise concerns
and merit a thorough investigation. In line with the guidelines, the limit in this case will be set
at £2,000 net loss over a 90-day period to trigger enhanced scrutiny.
Who plays in the UK?
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is considered not only one of the most progressive
regulators in the world but also the most responsible. The Commission monitors the health
of English players, takes measures to increase awareness in games, and constantly
conducts research.
Thus, over the past year in Britain, the number of fans of gambling entertainment has
decreased to 57% (63% a year earlier), which in general is almost the highest figure in the
world. At the same time, the number of clients of licensed operators has increased by
12.9%, which means that players trust transparent companies more.
An increase was also noted in the registration of new accounts with web operators. The
number of new accounts increased by 14.4%. More and more people prefer to play online.
As on other continents, the core of the gambling audience was made up of men aged 25 to
34.
The UK is a leader in gambling and sports betting, being one of the most mature and
sophisticated jurisdictions in the world. Transparent legislation and a high degree of player
protection make the UK market a role model. The growing popularity of online betting and
the steady influx of investment indicate that the industry is developing further. At the same
time, measures to protect customers are being strengthened, making the market safe and
sustainable. Steady growth is expected in the coming years, thanks to the development of
technology and stricter regulations.
