In Great Britain, NatCen Social Research and the University of Liverpool have tendered a report with many angles to view but two we will focus on in this report. The study seems to have focused on the biggest betters to draw its conclusions.
First, the researchers found that nearly 80% of online casino revenues in the UK came from only one out of ten punters. The other conclusion is that those gamblers are some of the least able to afford losses, based on where they live.
Slots featured heavily in the type of game most played.
Sports betting was also studied.
Most Current Data
A full version of the report on the Be Gamble Aware website titled:
“Patterns of Play – Extended Executive Summary Report” is available in PDF format (here).
The study would suggest that 79% of licensed gambling providers’ revenue comes from 10% of accounts and that those players bet in the higher ranges.
It also showed that players in less affluent areas played and lost more than gamblers in more well-to-do areas.
The study data came from a one-year period beginning in June 2018 and was collected from nearly 140,000 betting accounts.
Bettors and gamblers who staked about £4,500 and above providers operators about 79% of their revenue.
The study intended to look at levels of gambling among all economic classes and determine areas where harm might occur.
This makes their focus on certain numbers relevant but prejudiced by the purpose as negative or contradictory cohorts were not presented. While the study drilled down to economic demographics it didn’t attempt to portray wins or any other real or perceived positive benefits of gambling or assume there were any.
High Volume Sports Bettors Lost Less
Sports betters who risked the most were even more stratified, and it took a lot more action to have bets counted in the study. Those with nearly 10x as much action as slots and bingo players (£30,493+ over the year-long study) represented one out of a hundred punters and contributed a little over a third of operator revenue.
Compared to other big bettors (£5,639+) those that bet the most lost less on sports.
The study set out to answer the following questions:
• What are the basic patterns of play within online gambling?
• How do these patterns of play vary for different types of people?
• How do patterns of play vary among different products and characteristics?
• What types of behaviors are associated with problem or ‘at-risk’ gambling (for example late night gambling as measured by stake sizes and intensity of spending)?
Understanding the Numbers
Nearly 300,000 accounts may have had losses of £2,000 or more based on the methodology used and about one in five of those losing accounts were registered in one of the 20 percent of most deprived areas of Great Britain.
A focused narrative based on the actual purpose of the study would conclude that the least able to spend were those that spent the most.
Future “Safe gambling campaigns” may be adjusted based on the data collected and its interpretations.
The study focused on gambling harms.
The research team consisted of social researchers from NatCen Social Research and Professors Forrest and McHale from the University of Liverpool.
Professor Hale noted: “While political debate and campaigns have focussed on the risks around betting, our research shows it is important to raise awareness of the gambling harms associated with online gaming. Gaming, in particular slots games, is much larger in terms of total online spending by British players and analysis of customer account data throws up more red flags indicative of potential harm from gambling.”
Source: New UK study finds 79% of online gaming revenue comes from 10% of accounts, Focus Gaming, June 9, 2022