Gambling is hugely popular in the UK. Online casinos have to be licensed under the UK Gambling Commission to be eligible to operate in the country. This is a way of ensuring that every online casino active in the UK is a legitimate one. British men tend to gamble more than British women. On average, people in the UK spend a little over 135 pounds on gambling in a year. The gambling industry is worth close to 15 billion pounds.
The total number of employees in the gambling industry of the UK amounts to almost 100000. The number of weekly gamblers in the UK constitutes a little over 30% of the total population. The total number of UK-based players in the world of online gambling exceeds 30 million. People aged between 25 years and 35 years are the largest gambling group online with a proportion of over 40%.
What Makes Gambling Unique in the UK
There are many unique facts that make gambling in UK special. This is what the article will address.
Slots
Slots are the most popular game in the casinos of the UK. This is because slots do not require the crafting of any carefully thought-out strategy. Slots are purely dependent on luck. For online gamblers, slots seem as a very attractive gaming option.
This is because many gambling websites offer free spins for slots. British gamblers can always be found on any website with free daily spins for playing slots. Online slot games command the regular participation of more than 3% of the total domestic population. Online casinos replicate the music and the sound of coins pouring out that players hear while playing slots at a real casino. This acts as a great way of attracting higher participation.
Sports Betting
More than 6% of the British population regularly indulges in sports betting. It is the third most popular form of gambling in the UK after lotteries and scratch cards. As of now, e-sports are mostly kept out of the purview of sports betting. However, this is expected to change in the near future. There are more than 3000 participants for e-sports in the UK.
It is a sector that has been growing at an average annual rate of more than 8%. Like gambling in general, males between the ages of 21 years and 35 years make up more than 60% of the fanbase of e-sports. So, owners of gambling websites are now looking to use this as a business opportunity.
Lottery
In the year 1556, Queen Elizabeth I oversaw the launch of Britain’s first national lottery to generate funds for repairing the harbors of London. Today, the national lottery is the most popular form of gambling in the UK. Almost 1/3rd of the population takes part in it. Other forms of lottery get participation from around 13% of the population. Lotteries, in general, are extremely popular among the people of the UK.
Horseracing
The British are the pioneers of horseracing in the world. They started doing it in the 16th century. The Chester Racecourse is also acknowledged to be the oldest one in the world today. The Jockey Club, founded in the year of 1750, regulates horseracing in the UK. Horseracing enjoys regular participation from almost 5% of the population. Digitization has enabled the people of the UK to place bets on horses from the comfort of their homes.
Addiction
Around 0.5% of the adult population of the country suffers from gambling addiction. About 7% of gamblers admit that they gamble simply because they require an additional source of income. From 260 million pounds to a little over 1 billion pounds are spent over the treatment of gambling addiction every year. The government of the UK takes gambling addiction very seriously.
Conclusion
In the UK, online gambling laws vary according to location. Different administrative zones have different rules. Nonetheless, the restrictions are being loosened by the government because online gambling has been recognized as a valuable source of economic growth and employment. The online gambling industry has been making big steps forward.
Gambling websites are going mobile by launching their official apps on Play Store and Apple Store. More and more online casinos are now enabling transactions via cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Many online casinos are looking for ways to incorporate the technology of virtual reality. The future of online gambling is looking very bright.
