GB Commission Reports Robust 5% Market Growth in the UK to £1.30bn

The standard-bearing Great Britain market continues to perform robustly and edify the viability and strength of the industry overall.

Benchmark Growth

The latest good news comes in the form of over one and a quarter gross gambling yield pounds Q4 figure.

Market Totals

Growth of 5% year-on-year for the GB gambling market was reflected in the total online gross gambling yield (GGY) of £1.30bn (€1.51bn/$1.62bn), with land-based performance getting stronger as well.

Q4 Period Defined

These results were included in the UK Gambling Commission’s most recent performance update covering January, February and March 2023, punctuated by the Cheltenham Festival horse racing event.

Drivers of iGaming Growth

The Commission credited real event betting and slots as the vertical driving growth in the GB market. Other visible increases included rises in total number of bets and spins and active monthly accounts.

Online Betting Supports

Growth in online betting topped out at Online real event betting was up year-on-year to £555m (nearly 13%). The number of bets was up 19% from Q4 2022, and average monthly active accounts were up 9%.

Key Sustainers of Activity

The Cheltenham Festival and player retention from the late FIFA World Cup 2022 were credited with driving the betting and account activity growth.

Slots Growth

Slots were also a solid GGY contributor, growing 2% year-on-year to £525m. Slots vertical growth was driven according to the Commission by a 9% jump in the number of spins to 19.5 billion and a 15% hike in average monthly active accounts to reach 3.9 million.

Declines and Stable

As for additional verticals, online casino GGY actually dropped 4% to £153m, and virtual betting declined 3% to £12m. Online poker also showed a shortfall, declining 7% to £18m. In the meantime, esports betting held steady at £2m for the second consecutive year.

Land-based Totals

In the land-based sector, total GGY rose 6% year-on-year to £585m.

Drivers of Land-Based Growth

Gaming machine GGY rose 5% to £292m, driven by average spend per session (total £12.26). The average number of spins per machine session rose to 131 spins, with 3% of all machine sessions lasting over one hour.

Self-Service Contribution

The use of self-service betting terminals drove GB’s land-based sector, growing by 28% to £125m. This was supplemented by a healthy 28% rise in number of bets placed on self-service terminals, to 37 million.

Land-based Shortfalls

Shortfalls in the land-based sector were turned in by over-the-country GGY, down 5% to £167m, and the number of bets falling 4% to 138 million.

Outlook

The Commission report indicates that the world’s largest iGaming market continues to take shape, bringing growth in the land-based sector along with it.