It’s fair to say that the gambling market is indicative of an industry that moves at a rapid rate. It’s not one that’s willing to stand still. So, the gambling sector that people knew as little as ten years ago isn’t what they’d find today. And a lot of this is down to how keen gambling is to adapt and evolve.
Now, some people may look at the figures and notice a few slight declines in the UK gambling market in recent times, which is significant. The drop-offs have occurred in areas such as land-based casinos and high street betting, and this points to the exponential growth in online and mobile gambling, and a considerable part of this is the ever-increasing appetite for mobile casino games.
When the internet arrived on the scene in the 1990s, it changed the gambling landscape forever. And, as we have seen before, there have been areas that have exponential growth, such as online and mobile casino and sports betting, and where there is growth, there must be a decline, and you could suggest gambling is shedding its skin with land-based gaming venues and betting shops fast becoming a thing of the past.
The growth in specific areas of the gambling market in the UK coincides with changes in punters and their behaviours and preferences. For example, people love convenience, and there’s now more convenience than ever before if they choose to go down the online and mobile betting and casino route. They can play games or place bets whenever is convenient for them and from wherever they are.
Areas such as sports betting have really come to the fore in recent times, with the activity holding close to a 50% market share. But what’s also significant about this is that it once again documents another string to gambling’s bow. When it was recognised how popular sports betting online and on mobile is, there was a determination to build on this further and keep the growth moving at breakneck speed while also providing a better experience for punters.
The above has been evidenced by the creation of in-play betting, which allows bettors to place wagers while the action in sports such as football and boxing unfolds live. And there’s also continued to be an increase in betting markets, especially in the most popular sport in the UK, football. Moves like this have been significant in accelerating the growth of the UK gambling market and not allowing it to slow down.
All the evidence, be it the numbers in terms of revenues or percentages representing year-on-year climbs, suggest that the growth of the gambling market in the UK is going to continue for many years to come. And, when you consider how keen the sector is to adapt and move with the times, it’s hard to imagine a day when this won’t be the case, with the industry likely to look totally different in ten years.