Part 1: Strictly bingo
Part 1: Strictly bingo
T
he UK bingo market presents an object
Chart 1: UK online bingo GGR (£m) 2015-18
lesson in how regulatory and tax 200
headwinds can affect market participants 180
in a variety of ways.
160.6 164.8
Apr 16 - Mar 17 Apr 17 - Mar 18
160
Let’s start with the actions of the Gambling
140
Commission and the current government. In
recent years the bingo sector, along with the
120
100
wider online gaming sector, has been hit with 80
changes to the taxation treatment of player 60
bonuses, the implementation of enhanced 40
measures on source of funds, responsible 20
gambling and AML and finally, and most 0
recently, by the rise in remote gaming duty from
122.4
Apr 15 - Mar 16
Source: Gambling Commission
15% to 21%.
A torrid backdrop then. Yet the nature of the UK
across the sector as it struggled to readjust to
market – and the varying degrees of dependence the new landscape. It should also be noted that
on slots and other games as opposed to purely this tailing off of growth came largely ahead of
bingo – means that across the market leaders the the implementation of the harsher Gambling
impact has been variable. And it is the degree Commission regime and the remote gaming tax
to which the bingo sector is actually bingo-led increase. But as we can see below, the general
that means the figures from the GB Gambling trend masks some variable operator-by-operator
Commission are, to an extent, misleading. differences.
Still, the figures reflect something of the issues
rise between 2015/16 and 2016/17 with a pinch of Operator-by-operator analysis:
Tombola thrives
salt (with reporting practices still bedding down), This is most obvious with one of the easier
the 2.6% rise between 2016/17 and 2017/18 looks to operators to analyse, Tombola, not least because
be more reliable (see table 1). It suggests anaemic of its relative lack of reliance on other games
growth at best in the purely bingo revenue element to boost revenues. The closely held company’s
facing the sector. While we should take the 31%
Table 1: UK bingo turnover and GGR 2015-18
UK bingo
Turnover (£m)
GGR (£m)
GGR % rise
Apr15-Mar16 Apr16-Mar17 Apr17-Mar18
1,469 1,414 1,326
122 161 165
31.2 2.6
Source: Gambling Commission
iGaming Business Market Monitor • UK bingo market, Sweden and Germany • June 2019
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