If I were to ask you to picture the typical online real money gamer, what mental image would you create?
Breaking Stereotypes
If I were to ask you to picture the typical online real money gamer, what mental image would you create? What would that person look like? What is their gender, their age, what kinds of other hobbies do they enjoy and what goods and services do they spend money on? The online gambling industry here in the UK has been undergoing significant change in recent years. Odds are, the person you are picturing right now doesn’t reflect many of the changes that have taken place. Fortunately, the UK Gambling Commission publishes regular industry statistics that provide significant insight into these changes and what it means to be a typical online gambler today.
Expanding Reach
One of the most dramatic changes that has been taking place in recent years is the growth of online gambling in comparison to other forms of gambling. It is the largest single gambling sector, accounting for almost 40% of all the gambling in the UK with £3.0bn coming in from online casino games alone. The latest industry data shows that 18% of all people have gambled online at least once in the last four weeks. Unlike the past, where online gambling only took place at home, now over half of all online gamblers are making use of mobile phones and tablets giving more access to RMOG sites.
In fact, over the past four years, the number of people who have engaged in mobile gaming has grown from 23% to 44%.
Setting the Record Straight on Age
Most people imagine gamblers to be in their 50s or 60s. This isn’t without justification, because when you look across all types of gambling this is the age group with the highest participation. However, if you remove national lottery draws, then the landscape looks very different. After removing the national lottery, the age group that has the highest participation in all gambling is the 25-34 age bracket, with 37% of the population participating. This is reinforced when we look at the participation rates specifically for online gambling by age. Again the 25-34 age bracket leads the way, making up 23% of the total market.
Gender is No Longer a Barrier
Returning to your mental image of the typical gambler, what gender did you assign that person? If you assumed them to be male, then you have assumed correctly. Once again, however, the split between males and females is likely closer than you realise. Increasingly women are engaging in gambling activities. In 2017, 48% of all men participate in some form of gambling, but women are not far behind with 41% participating. Removing the national lottery tightens the gap slightly to 34% for men and 29% for women.
Part of this shift may be due to the engaging nature of many of today’s online casino games. The Gambling Commission also tracks the availability and prevalence of online gambling-style games where no money is at stake. These games are played simply for fun, and in this category of game, women actually led men as of the 2017 data, with 34% of all women participating and men at only 32%. While ‘softer games like bingo remain most popular with the ladies, operators and suppliers are now offering games across igaming genres, designed with the female player in mind.
Motivations for Gambling
Who doesn’t love winning? As you might have guessed, the chance of winning is the driving factor for roughly half of all gamblers. Once again, those participating in the national lottery draws skew the data a bit, as they are more likely to play to win compared with other gamblers. But you might be surprised that roughly a third of all gamblers are simply looking for fun and enjoyment. After that driving factors include the opportunity to socialise and finding it relaxing.
Conclusion
Gambling audiences represent a much more diverse audience than most people would imagine. Men and women across age groups all participate in large numbers. This diversity is one of the reasons onload{media} has chosen to work with gambling networks. The vigorously age-verified audience can be intelligently targeted, regardless of the audience you are trying to reach. As we now understand, they are not simply driven to win. Many chose gambling as a fun, leisure activity so taking otherwise idol time and filling it with relevant advertising provides optimal impact and opportunity for conversion.
Originally posted in OnloadMedia.com