The UK Grand National, one of the island nation’s most popular horse races, has caused Britain’s gross gambling yield (GGY) for online gambling to jump by 3% in the March-April period. This was followed by an increase of 4% in the number of active player accounts. However, the number of overall bets in the UK was still lower than in March.
The UK gambling market is undoubtedly very healthy. Following the pandemic-induced increase in online gambling, the remote sector has experienced a period of prolonged growth. However, as the UK Gambling Commission has reported, there was a slight decrease in betting and gambling activity in the country during the previous month.
The number of bets overall decreased by 2% in the March-April period. The number of active players in total fell by 1%.
However, the UK Grand National, which took place on April 10 at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, managed to cause an increase in the UK’s gross gambling yield almost single-handedly. GGY is a figure that represents the income of all betting operators and casinos, minus the payouts. According to UKGC-provided data, the UK Grand National caused a 3% increase in GGY in the March-April period.
The GGY for Slots Remains Relatively Unchanged in the March-April Period
The slots sector of the gambling market remained stable in the aforementioned period, with only slight changes occurring. The GGY of slots was £220 million in March-April. The number of bets and active players fell by 1%, while online slot sessions lasting more than one hour decreased by 4%, falling to 2.6 million.
In April, the average session duration for slots came down to 20.2 minutes. Out of all slot sessions, 8% lasted more than an hour.
Betting on sports events, which was affected by the Grand National, increased by 7%. Esports were also on the rise, witnessing a 3% jump compared to March.
