Yesterday, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) published more data regarding the impact of the coronavirus lockdown on local customers’ gambling behaviour. The data unveiled covers the two months of full shutdown in April and May 2020 and was gathered by the Covid-19 tracker of YouGov and the biggest online gambling companies that operate in the country. It also builds on information that the UKGC published on May 12th and June 12th, with the gambling regulatory body unveiling updated guidance to gambling companies in May.
As revealed by the watchdog, the latest data highlights an increase registered in sports betting and real-event betting, partly because of the return of first-tier football in the German Bundesliga in May.
The UK Gambling Commission revealed that British customers’ overall participation in gambling operations has declined but some eager players are spending more time and money gambling on certain products. The regulator said that the total average spend per active customer rose by 17% in May in comparison to April.
An important part of the latest guidance that the Commission issued to gambling companies in May was the instruction under which operators should prevent reverse withdrawal options from June onwards. Considering the fact that the data compiled throughout May showed considerable usage of so-called operator reverse withdrawal functions, the updated guidance provided by the UKGC must have been both timely and suitable, and will make sure that British consumers are well protected against gambling-related harm during the shutdown period.
UKGC to Continue Tracking and Assessing Gambling-Related Risks
As mentioned above, the latest data presented by the gambling regulator was taken from the Covid-19 tracker of YouGov, which covers a representative sample of approximately 2,000 adult residents of Great Britain weekly basis. Apart from that data was taken from submissions of the largest gambling companies, covering about 80% of the entire online gambling sector.
The participation rate was taken from gambling company data on active player accounts, or in other words, consumers who have lace at least one bet or spin during the month.
The gambling regulatory body of the UK has assessed the implication made and is now set to continue tracking and assessing the risks associated with gambling services.
The Commission shared that it will collect and publish the data that it is gathering, and it will continue to assess the impact of the enhanced guidance that is regularly issued to gambling companies that operated on the territory of the country. Apart from that, the gambling watchdog intends to continue working with the gambling sector as retail gambling premises continue to open across the UK. Furthermore, where additional risks faced by customers are identified, the UKGC is set to take further action in order to make sure consumers are protected against possible harm.
- Author
Daniel Williams
