Gross gambling yield (GGY) decreased by 7%, with total bets decreasing by 10%. Slots GGY decreased by 14% to £181m ($251m) from May to June, while the number of spins decreased by 10%.
The number of online slots sessions lasting longer than one hour decreased by 9%, while the average session length decreased to 19.3 minutes, with almost 8% of all sessions lasting longer than one hour.
Active players for June did, however, increase by 4%, likely due to occasional players’ interest in the recent 2020 European Championship football tournament.
“The operator data reflects the period between March 2020 and June 2021, inclusive, and covers both online and, where relevant, some offline gambling operator data, noting that land-based premises have only recently been able to open since closing in December,” a statement from the Gambling Commission read.
“It is not advisable to make year-on-year comparisons between months in 2020 and months in 2021, due to differing operating circumstances of 2020 and 2021.”
The Gambling Commission reiterated its advice to operators regarding player protection, saying: “We recognise that the country is now entering a different phase as we continue to ease out of lockdown. We continue to expect extra vigilance from operators as consumers are impacted in different ways by the circumstances.
“Many people will still feel vulnerable as a result of the length of the pandemic period and further uncertainty about their personal or financial circumstances.”
