If it has been a slow year for the UK Gambling Commission, then the tortoise must have beat out the hare. Following the recent publication of the UK Gambling Commission’s executive summary on the activities of the body charged with regulating all gambling activities in the United Kingdom - whether in the pub or the online casino - it is a sure bet to say the UK Gambling Commission hasn’t been sitting on their thumbs.
Following the Commission’s original codes of practice publication, gambling industry statistics and the 2007 Prevalence survey regarding problem gambling, a secondary summary has been released - this time providing even more insightful statistics on gambling behavior, as well as the activities of the Commission itself.
The executive summary provides further commentary on factors associated with high-risk problem gambling behavior, and explains how more timely information is being used to expand future research. Comparing the gambling activities of UK citizens with those of the Commission, which is now under new regulatory framework, analysts should be able to gain a better grasp and understanding of gambling behavior, not to mention the effectiveness of current regulatory framework.
Regarding new gambling operations, the Commission licensed some 3,428 operators and has handed out nearly 4,200 licenses for conducting both remote and non-remote gambling activities over the past year. Regarding gambling activities, the summary reports that 68% of the UK population participated in at least one form of gambling (compared to 72% from 1999), with nearly one-third of this demographic solely participating in the National Lottery.
Other key findings show that only 3% participated in online casino and poker betting, while the quotient of problem gamblers remained unchanged from 1999. The highest prevalence of problem gambling was found to exist in the spread betting, fixed odds terminal betting and exchange betting sectors of the gambling industry.
