The lure of things like free online bingo and the general convenience of Internet betting appears to be prompting more people in the UK to gamble remotely, according to figures released recently.
A study by the UK Gambling Commission conducted between September 2010 and June 2011 has reported an increase of 0.07 per cent in the number of people using their computers, handheld devices, laptops, mobile phones, interactive TVs or digital TVs to join in games of bingo online, buy National Lottery tickets, bet on the horses or try to strike it lucky on scratch cards or slot machines.
The poll of 4,000 adults produced some interesting results. It showed that the UK’s average remote gambler is male aged between 18-44 and that 10.5 per cent use their computer, handheld device or laptop to gamble remotely. In comparison, 3.2 per cent use their web-enabled mobile phones to get onto betting websites and just under half that amount (1.4 per cent) bet through their interactive or digital TVs.
So what are gamblers in general in the UK spending their hard-earned money on?
Well, just under half (46.3 per cent) are trying their luck on the National Lottery, who have created thousands of millionaires since starting up in the mid-1990s. Roughly a quarter of that number (10.7 per cent) play scratch cards, 4.6 per cent enjoy a flutter on the horses and it’s ‘eyes down’ for the 3.4 per cent that play bingo.
With just over a quarter of all adults in the UK now owning a smartphone, more and more people are expected to gamble remotely, with one MP is leading the calls for more to be done to protect remote gamblers.
John Penrose, the MP responsible for gambling policy and regulation, announced back in July that he wants changes introduced to the way the remote gambling industry is regulated.
Penrose said: “The current system for regulating remote gambling doesn’t work. 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.”