Punters bet £14 billion online in the UK

Annual online gambling in the UK has climbed 65 percent since the Gambling Act was enforced in 2007 to reach £13.8 billion last year.

UK.- Online betting keeps growing worldwide and the countries that have already established a regulation for the activity are enjoying the results. Such is the case of the UK, which enforced the Gambling Act allowing online gaming in 2007, as the industry’s income has increased 65 percent ever since to reach £13.8 billion (roughly US$17.8 billion) last year.

According to The Guardian, gambling firms won £8.36 billion from customers in the year that began April 2008 and reported a record £13.8 billion last year (ending September 2016), mainly thanks to a surge in spending on the National Lottery, online gaming and FOBTs.

Nowadays, remote betting (online casinos, poker and bingo) makes up for more than a third of the industry as it has reached an income of £4.5 billion after recording just £817 million in 2009.

FOBTs generate a yearly average of £52,887, as the amount gamblers lose to them has increased by 73 percent since 2009, from £1 billion to £1.8 billion. However, the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) has warned the industry could be seriously damaged if the government curbs maximum stakes on FOBTs from £100 to £2 in order to tackle problem gambling.

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