British gambling industry grows 5%

British gambling industry has delivered a 5% rise in gross gambling yield (GGY) for the period October 2013 to September 2014, compared with April 2013 to March 2014.

The industry generated GGY of £7.1bn in that twelve months, a rise of £327m.

Industry statistics for the period 1 April 2010 to 30 September 2014 have been published by the Gambling Commission.

The figures provided for October 2013 to September 2014 are provisional at this stage.

The non-remote gambling sector represents the largest market, contributing 47% of the industry’s GGY over those twelve months.

However, compared to the previous year, growth was highest in the remote betting, bingo and casino sector, which rose by £213m, an increase of 19%.

Total casino attendance in the UK experienced major growth over the reporting periods, from 3.6 million in April 2010-March 2011 to 6.4 million in October 2013-September 2014.

Employment in the gambling industry fell as a whole between March 2011 and September 2014, with the total number of employees decreasing from 105,361 to 95,227.

The greatest fall in employment came in the bingo sector, which fell precipitously across the same period with a decrease of 4,476 or 24%.

Sales in the national lottery rose to £6.9bn, an increase of 2% over the figure for April 2013 to March 2014.

The number of B2 machines, which includes fixed odds betting terminals, also rose by 344 between October 2013 and September 2014, along with a £45m rise in their GGY.

The only operator to undergo a major expansion in its premises was Betfred between March 2011 and March 2012 when it grew its locations from 840 to 1,345.

Per the report’s social responsibility data, the number of self-exclusions rose 152% between 2008/09 and October 2013-September 2014 to 28,844, while known breaches of self-exclusion increased by 421% to 21,002.