There are various forms of legal online gambling in the United Kingdom, including the lottery, poker, casinos, betting, bingo, and more. Gambling is a centuries-old pastime in the UK, but laws have been significantly updated in recent times. The Gambling Act 2005 was introduced to bring more regulation to the online gambling industry and to protect children and vulnerable adults. These days, the industry is regulated by the Gambling Commission, sponsored by the government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS). From April 2020 to September 2020, the
amounted to approximately 3.1 billion British pounds. This shows a drop from the previous year, suggesting that even online gambling was not immune to the impact of the
. Similarly, the overall
fell from 14.12 billion British pounds in 2019 to 5.89 billion British pounds in 2020.
What is the most popular type of online gambling in the UK?
A September 2021 survey concluded that the
most popular type of online gambling in Great Britain was the lottery draw, with 61 percent of respondents stating that this was the case. Meanwhile, sports betting came in second. Both of these activities have a long history in the UK, with the first lottery having been recorded in the 16th century, and sports betting having long been associated with the traditional sport of horse racing. Nowadays, sports bettors often place their wagers through a bookmaker or sportsbook. In 2021, the
leading sportsbook-related website in the UK by share of voice was betfred.com. In that same year, the
leading gambling company with the largest brand value worldwide was the UK-based online gambling company Bet365, with a brand value of 3.37 billion U.S. dollars.
Public opinion on online gambling in the UK
The
leading reasons for gambling online in Great Britain varied in March 2021. According to a public poll, both men and women stated that the main reason to gamble online was that it was a fun thing to do, with 48 percent of men and 40 percent of women saying so. That being said, gambling of all kinds is still a controversial topic in the UK, with many believing that the industry has significant downsides, one of the main ones being gambling addiction. Some of the
leading reasons for not gambling online in Great Britain were poor odds and a lack of money to gamble with. However, opinions on this activity often vary by age - in 2021, it was found that 32.8 percent of respondents in Great Britain between the ages of 45 and 54 stated that they
took part in a form of online gambling in the four weeks prior to being surveyed. Meanwhile, the age group that participated the least in online gambling in this period was 16 to 24 year olds.
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