In this release we delve into the online survey data for the year to 2020 to flesh out our understanding of the headline trends illustrated in our official stats, and to further illuminate the impact of Covid-19 on how people gamble.

While we can’t know for certain what the trends in online gambling behaviour would have been if Covid-19 hadn’t arrived, we think it’s possible to detect the influence of the pandemic in our online survey data for 2020.

Like our telephone survey, this is run on a quarterly basis, but rather than deliver official statistics on participation and prevalence, it offers an opportunity to investigate online gambling behaviour (plus a range of other topics including marketing and advertising and safer gambling issues) in much more detail. In addition to these sources, another important piece of the evidence jigsaw is provided by our quarterly online survey. To understand the impact of Covid-19 on the gambling market and consumers, we have been publishing regular updates based on operator and research data which provide more frequent insights into market impacts. Wave upon wave of restrictions have been imposed on our daily lives and land-based gambling opportunities have been significantly reduced.

Of course, the gambling industry, like our lives in general, has been given a massive jolt over the last 12 months or so due to the arrival of Covid-19. In 2020, almost one in four adults (24%) had gambled online in the last four weeks, compared to around one in six (17%) five years ago. This trend is further emphasised by official statistics from our quarterly telephone survey that show consecutive year-on-year increases in online gambling participation. Our Industry Statistics for April 2019 - March 2020 show that remote (or online) gambling is now the largest industry sector, generating a Gross Gambling Yield of £5.7bn and comprising c.40% of the overall market. The last few years have seen a dramatic shift in the ways in which people gamble.

eSports betting is also growing, fuelled particularly by younger males.

the majority of online bettors have bet in-play, with rates highest for the younger demographic.

online gamblers hold an average of three accounts, but a significant proportion of younger gamblers hold more.

most online gambling is still done within the home, but one in five online gamblers have done so outside the home.

while mobile phones remain the dominant device for online gambling, laptops, PCs and tablets halted recent declines in 2020.

the most popular way to access online gambling remains via mobile phone, particularly for younger people.

This release contains data on consumer online gambling behaviour in 2020, taken from an online survey of c.8,000 adults in Great Britain.

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