A surprising 92 percent of U.K. residents did not partake in any form of remote gambling in 2006, according to a survey ordered by the U.K. Gambling Commission.
The commission on Feb. 27 released the first in a string of statistical reports that the government hopes will provide a glimpse into British citizens' participation in remote gambling before the new regulations take effect on Sept. 1. For the first time the commission will be empowered with regulating remote gambling in Britain.
The commission wanted to distinguish among the full range of remote gambling methods, including personal computer, mobile phone and interactive TV and the levels of participation in the gambling activities available through these remote channels. So, it enlisted ICM Research to conduct phone interviews over the four quarters in 2006 (March, June, September and December). During each survey period, ICM interviewed a random sample of 2,000 adults over the age of age 18. The final results are an average of the figures for each quarter.
Researchers found that nearly 8 percent of adults surveyed said they took part in at least one form of remote gambling, including the National Lottery. But that same figure fell to less than 6 percent if those only gambling on the National Lottery are excluded. According to the results, The National Lottery is the main activity for remote gambling, with over 5 percent of respondents saying they had gambled remotely on the lottery. Online poker and remote betting came in just behind the lottery.
Gambling via a computer, laptop or handheld device was most popular, with 5.2 percent of respondents saying they preferred this form of remote gambling. Less popular options included gambling via mobile phone (2.2 percent) and interactive/digital TV (1.7 percent).
"This new series is an important part of the commission's monitoring," said commission chairman Peter Dean. "The figures reflect the uptake of new technology with people choosing to gamble via the Internet as well as through mobile phones and interactive television."??
The next report will include an average of the four quarters to March 2007. No release date has been set.
Click here to view a copy of the survey results.