Online Gambling In The UK A High Revenue Earner

By Brian Cullingworth, Last updated Aug 18, 2017

But still significantly smaller than the land business

Figures from the UK Gambling Commission covering the period October 2015 to September 2016 show that the UK licensed business overall delivered total revenues 3 percent up y-o-y at GBP 13.82 billion, with online gambling the best revenue earner, making a contribution of GBP 4.23 billion, a figure that has since risen to GBP 4.46 billion in 2017, making online gambling the highest earner when it comes to wagering, according to the publication ABC Money.

That figure rises to GBP 4.8 billion when remote betting is taken into account, the publication claims, noting that the segment prospered by as much as 10 percent thanks to major football tournament wagering. Exchange betting contributed another GBP 170 million, and online casinos delivered GBP 2.4 billion.

Online bingo was less successful, declining to GBP 149 million.

The figures show that in the period between 2015 and 2016 there was an increase in the number of new users who joined online casinos – up from 23.7 million to 28.4 million. Active accounts also increased from 20 million to 21.4 million.

Revenues from gambling software sales are also covered in the statistics, showing a fall from GBP 538.3 million to GBP 520.1 million as developers struggled to boost sales, which dipped 14 percent.

UK-licensed land-based casino revenues were up 3 percent in the reporting period at GBP 3.4 billion, with earnings up 19 percent at GBP 1.19 billion, and the National Lottery recorded GBP 3.26 billion, down 4.3 percent.

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