Latest UKGC figures show further drop in problem gambling rates
Problem gambling rates drop by half year-on-year and are a further fall on February’s results
In new figures released by the UKGC, problem gambling rates have fallen 0.2% in the year to March 2022.
These latest figures show that the problem gambling rate has dropped by half year-on-year (YoY) and has continued to decline following the 0.3% figure published in February 2022.
The figures also showed that the problem gambling rate amongst women remained steady at 0.1%.
These new statistics also delved into participation in the different forms of gambling. It showed that participation in online gambling remained stable YoY at 26%, while in-person participation saw a percentage increase of 3% to 26%, which shows some signs of recovery following the pandemic.
However, this new data is thrown into some doubt, as a report produced by YouGov in March showed that there were 1.4m problem gamblers in the UK, which puts the figures released in February by the UKGC and the ones released recently into question.
In response to these new figures, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) said that despite these somewhat positive statistics, there is still the issue that black market sites are on the rise in the UK.
The BGC referenced a report completed by PwC that found that the scale of the black market across the European market was huge because of the strict new measures placed on operators.
The body has asked that the ministers in charge of the upcoming white paper on the Gambling Act 2005 review to take a more evidence-based approach and not listen to the anti-gambling groups that are calling for more stringent measures to be put in place.
In a statement, BGC chief executive Michael Dugher said: “These latest figures showing that problem gambling is falling once again will no doubt come as a profound disappointment to anti-gambling prohibitionists, and it should be a warning to ministers to ensure future changes are carefully balanced, proportionate and targeted.”
Dugher added: “The regulated betting and gaming industry is determined to promote safer gambling, unlike the unsafe, unregulated and growing online black market, which has none of the safeguards which are the norm among BGC members.
“Ministers should not drive customers into the arms of the black market by introducing intrusive personal checks for non-problem gamblers and those not at risk, or by taking away the offers that punters in a highly competitive market enjoy.”