More people in the UK are gambling remotely either by playing bingo online, having a flutter on a major sporting event or buying National Lottery tickets, research has found.
Findings released by the UK Gambling Commission show that there was a slight increase (0.07 per cent) in remote gambling between September 2010 and June of this year.
Of the 4,000 adults that participated in the poll, just over one in 10 (11.8 per cent) confessed to have participated in remote gambling in the previous month, whether that be everything from taking part in free online bingo to staking a few pounds on a horse race.
Over one in ten (10.5 per cent) admitted they gamble remotely with the use of a computer, handheld device or laptop and 3.2 per cent access betting websites with their mobile phones, while 1.4 per cent gamble via interactive or digital TV.
While the amount of people using their web-enabled mobiles to gamble may seem small, that number is expected to rocket over the coming years as the surge in smartphone users continues. It’s believed that one in four adults in the UK now own a smartphone.
Statistics published by the UK Gambling Commission also highlight that just under half (46.3 per cent) of those polled spent money on National Lottery games, 10.7 per cent played scratch cards, 4.6 per cent had a bet on horse races, 3.4 per cent purchased bingo cards and 3.3 per cent went in search of bumper jackpots on fruit or slot machines.
Major changes, though, could be afoot in the remote gambling industry. John Penrose is the MP responsible for gambling policy and regulation and he announced plans back in July that could see gambling companies operating in Britain having to obtain a license from the Gambling Commission. This move, it is hoped, will offer greater protection to British gamblers and potentially reduce the amount of problem gamblers.
“The current system for regulating remote gambling doesn’t work,” blasted Penrose.
“Overseas operators get an unfair advantage over UK based companies, and British consumers who gamble online may have little or no protection depending on where the operator they deal with happens to be based.
“So our new proposals are an important step to help address concerns about problem gambling and to plug a regulatory gap, ensuring a much more consistent and higher level of protection for those people in the UK who gamble online.
“We will create a level playing field, so all overseas operators will be subject to the same standards and requirements as those based in Britain, as well as being required to inform the Gambling Commission about suspicious betting patterns to help fight illegal activity and corruption in betting.”