UK retail betting is in decline. Can the sector take inspiration from a high street betting stalwart and Serbia’s thriving social scene to turn the channel’s luck around?
UK retail betting continued its slow long-term decline in Q3 2024 with the channel’s gross gambling yield (GGY) falling 1% to £533 million in the UK, according to UK Gambling Commission data. Entain reported a drop of 2% in retail betting revenue in the market, while Evoke observed a 9% fall in revenue across its international retail portfolio.
Meanwhile online gambling is surging in popularity due to ease of access and improving technology. The Gambling Commission reported an overall Q3 GGY of £1.32 billion (€1.6 billion/$1.7 billion), with online real event betting GGY rising by 6% year-on-year to £453 million.
In its Q3 results, Evoke said it had hired a new retail managing director in September who had identified and actioned a series of measures to improve trading in the short term. This included the rollout ..