Online casinos have become very popular in recent years, and with good reason. Unlike brick-and-mortar casinos, you can play online games like poker, blackjack, and roulette anytime and anywhere.
Let’s explore four interesting facts about the online casino industry in the UK.
The UK Has an Abundance of Online Casinos to Choose From
Before digging into the statistics, it’s worth noting that the United Kingdom has some of the safest and most trustworthy online casinos in the gaming industry. Many new online casinos pop up regularly, but with so many online casinos launching on a regular basis, it can be challenging to know which ones are the best.
So, to help you out, if you’re based in the UK, check out this article that lists the finest selection of UK online casinos. Now, let’s look at some of the most interesting facts about the UK’s online casino industry.
1. Online Casinos Generate More Profits Than Any Other Gambling Sector in the UK
According to the UK Gambling Commission, in 2020, there were 24 million adult gamblers in Great Britain in 2020 and nearly half of those gambled online.
While that includes things like the National Lottery and sports betting with bookmakers, the latest statistics show that online casinos were the most profitable area within the gambling sector in Britain.
In fact, the online casino sector was actually the highest-grossing industry in 2019. In that year, it generated a staggering £3,190 billion.
2. People in Their 30s and 40s Are Engaging with Online Gambling More Than Other Age Ranges
In 2020, according to Statista, the age range that gambled online the most was people between the ages of 35 and 44. 29.3% of citizens aged 35 to 44 in the UK gambled remotely every month.
The age range also saw the largest increase in the number of gamblers. Between 2019 and 2020, that age range went up by 4.2%. However, bear in mind that those stats cover not just online casinos but also other forms of online gambling, like bingo, the lottery, and sports betting.
As for the age range in the UK that engaged with online gambling the least during the same period, that was people over the age of 65. Only 14.2% of UK citizens engaged in remote gambling in 2020.
3. More People Are Using Smartphones to Access Online Gambling Sites
Smartphones are becoming the number one way to access the internet, so it’s perhaps not too surprising to learn that smartphones are the most popular way in which UK citizens access online gambling sites, according to the UK Gambling Commission.
In fact, 50% of online gamblers used smartphones to access online gambling platforms in 2019; although that includes online gambling sites that aren’t casinos.
Smartphone use for gambling online was most popular during that period among younger Brits. 25% of those that used smartphones to gamble online were between the ages of 18 and 24.
The least common age group to access online gambling via their smartphones during the same period were people aged over 65, at just 14%. The second-most popular devices used in the UK in 2020 for accessing online gambling sites were laptops, at 38%, which was 6% lower than the previous year.
4. Black Market Online Gambling Is Still Popular
With so many reputable and trustworthy online casinos available in the UK, it’s surprising that British IP addresses accounted for 27 million hits to access illegal online gambling sites in 2020, according to the UK’s Betting Gaming Council.
In terms of unique visitors, that accounts for around 200,000 Brits using black market sites, where approximately £1.4 billion worth of bets were placed.