The GB Gambling Commission said sports betting’s best monthly performance since the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic began helped online gross gambling yield (GGY) grow 29% month-on-month in November.
Overall sports betting yield – or revenue – amounted to £290.1m (€319.8m/$391.8m), up 53% from £189.7m in September.
This represents the highest monthly total since the Commission started publishing yield data for the market’s performance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to data collected from operators accounting for 80% of the British market, the increase in real event betting led to a rise in online revenue for September, which grew up to £524.0m.
The Commission said real event betting GGY was helped by a rise in the number of active players (up 7%) and bets placed (up 12%), as well as abnormal sports results in the month, including defending champions Liverpool losing 7-2 to Aston Villa in football’s English Premier League.
Elsewhere, online slots yield climbed 10% month-over-month to £172.5m, its highest monthly total since May.
The number of bets placed increased 8% to almost 5.1bn, while active accounts reached 2.8m, the highest total during the Covid-19 period.
The Commission also noted a 12% increase in the number of online slot sessions to 27m for the month, as well as a 12% rise in the amount of sessions that lasted over an hour to 2.2m.
GGY from other online gambling, including casino, increased 11% to 362.7m, while virtual sports betting was up 9% to £6.6m.
Online poker GGY climbed 5% to £8.3m, but online esports betting slipped 39% to £795,705, its lowest total since the regulator began reporting monthly figures.
In terms of land-based gambling, based on data from operators making up 85% the market, the Commission said the number of over-the-counter bets placed in October fell 2% to 60.4m.
GGY, however, was up by 3% to £74.5m, again the highest monthly figure since Covid-19 reporting began.
GGY from self-service betting terminals (SSBTs) also reached a pandemic-high of $41.2m, which was 49% higher than £27.6m in September. The number of bets placed on SSBTs in October also climbed 11% month-on-month.
Machine GGY was at its highest since the pandemic started, rising 2% month-on-month to £88.5m. The number of sessions fell 2% to 8.2m, but spend per session was up 48p to £10.77, while the number of spins per session increased 3% to 126.
