UK GAMBLING COMMISSION UK: Offline down, online up


As the UK Gambling Commission publishes its annual report on participation rates and perception of gambling for 2017, it’s no surprise to see online still very much ‘on the up’.


in-person participation dropping. Participation in fruit and slot machines


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decreased slightly to four per cent, with the most popular locations to play slots were pubs (2.4 per cent) and arcades (2.2 per cent). Participation in sports betting also decreased slightly to six per cent, although bookie FOBT machines have remained stable from 2016 at one per cent. The report found that there has been a


decrease in in-person participation for a number of activities including the National Lottery draws (76%, a three-percentage point decrease from 2016), other lotteries (59%, a four-percentage point decrease from 2016), and casino games (58%, a four-percentage point decrease from 2016). Bingo took the biggest hit, showing a


marked decline in people playing in person from 2016 (71%, a 14-percentage point decrease from 2016), which coincides with the decline in the number of bingo premises over the last year. This year has also seen a decrease in people placing bets on sporting events in person from 2016, which is likely to have been driven by the absence of any major high-profile sporting events in 2017 compared with 2016. However, small increases in in-person


ll eyes were on the latest UKGC annual report, which showed participation on the National Lottery remaining by far the biggest gambling activity, but with


of a Treasury consultation on the current mix of low-denomination coins – specifically 1p and 2p coins – throwing the long-term future of coin-op gaming in the UK into some doubt. Ministers deny any concrete plans to scrap the copper coins, but the view is that they are simply too expensive to mint, and many end up languishing in jars or even in the bin. The news will have raised concern among


participation have been seen across several betting activities. For online participation, however, it’s a


different story, with all types of gambling activity showing growth except for spread betting and betting on horse races. This is most evident in bingo (40%, a 19-percentage point increase from 2016), which again coincides with the decline in the number of bingo premises in the last 12 months. Online increases have also been observed


across the National Lottery draws (33%, a five-percentage point increase from 2016) and other lotteries (42%, a four-percentage point increase from 2016). These diverging trends may potentially indicate a shift in channel for many gamblers, either by existing gamblers moving from more traditional in-person gambling to online methods, or newcomers choosing to gamble online as opposed to in person. This report coincides with news in the UK


many of the UK’s seaside arcade operators who rely on a steady stream of 2p coins to feed their popular coin-pusher games. The 2p coins work particularly well in this game format due to their size and weight and is a mainstay of the arcade sector. The 10p variant of the coin-pusher is also popular but considered less effective than its 2p cousin. In its consultation, the Treasury said: “...due


to an increase in the rate of decline in the use of cash for lower value transactions, there is a reduction in demand for coin from cash processors; they are now holding increasingly large stocks of coin that have returned to them but for which there is declining future demand.” According to HM Treasury, as a society Brits


are less reliant on coins than ever before. Six out of ten 1p and 2p coins are used just once before being saved in a jar or summarily binned. The UK would not be alone if it took the decision to remove its low denomination coins; Australia, Brazil, Canada and Sweden, among many others, have ditched theirs.


APRIL 2018 55


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