UKGC report shows increase in UK gamblers
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published a new report which found 48% of participants had gambled in the past 4 weeks in 2016, an increase of 3% from 2015.
However, this figure dropped to 33% when those that had only played the National Lottery were excluded.
Unchanged from 2015, the report found that last year, 17% of people that gambled did so online, with 97% of online gamblers taking part at home.
The use of mobile phones or tablet devices to gamble had increased by 10% since 2015, to reach 43%.
James Green, programme director of the UKGC, said: “This report paints an important picture of how consumers in Britain choose to gamble – identifying emerging trends and potential risks to the public.
“We are also now able to provide a more detailed snapshot of online behaviours, which featured for the first time last year. Effective protections come from strong evidence. Our research puts us in a powerful position to better understand the needs of gambling consumers.”
When it came to marketing, the UKGC found that 68% of 18-24 year olds in 2016 were prompted to gamble by adverts and posts on social media.
0.7% of those that gambled in the past 12 months identified as problem gamblers, up from 0.5% in 2015.
The UKGC reported that those gambling using fixed odds betting terminals in bookies remained the same as the previous year, standing at 1.5%.
When working with the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) to look at unfair terms and conditions, the UKGC found that the top three concerns of gamblers were:
- Having to wager a certain amount before you can claim prizes or winnings.
- Unfair limits on the availability of or qualifying for a free bet.
- It being too difficult to win or in the companies favour.
Related article: UKGC urges operators to focus on customers