The UK Gambling Market According to 888.com

Research from 888.com shows that the U.K. gambling market is very diverse and that the number of female gamblers is on the rise.

"Bearing in mind the U.K. is not that big geographically compared to the U.S. market, we were intrigued by the massive diversity in betting habits and games played, not only by area, but also by different age groups."

- Jason Gasaway
888.com

The trends are revealed in a joint study from 888.com and Inside Edge Magazine that sheds some light on the I-gaming industry's recent surge in the United Kingdom.

"The Casino Report: An Insightful Examination of the Gambling boom in the UK" also gives an indication into how 888.com and its parent company (Cassava Enterprises/Casino-on-Net) plan to capitalize on the trends.

Jason Gasaway, U.S. Marketing Manager for 888.com, said the study was commissioned in part so that the company could gather insight on the games and demographics behind the online gaming industry. It was also intended to highlight trends in the U.K. marketplace.

The most interesting and significant finding, he said, was the range of activity among respondents. The uniqueness of gamblers came through as more and more consumers were surveyed for the report, which took almost six months to complete.

The report shows that preferences are diverse among U.K. countries. Those surveyed in Scotland said blackjack was their favorite game, while in Northern Ireland it was roulette. Craps was the most popular game in Wales, while poker led the charge in England.

Another interesting trend is the continued rise in popularity of online gaming within the female demographic. Gasaway said that 888.com had been aware of the trend for sometime and recently announced plans to launch women-only casino rooms and poker tables in the future.

"We are presently in the process of developing various concepts based around providing 'women-only' games and tournaments," he said. "However, they are in the development stage, and the launch date has not yet been determined."

The report also has some interesting non-gambling-related facts. According to those surveyed, one in 10 Newcastle men would have a one-night stand with Angelina Jolie because they think they would only "get the cold shoulder and not the elbow from their girlfriend." Meanwhile, one out of every 100 men in Wales would not cheat on their girlfriends for fear of castration.

Gasaway said 888.com is considering a similar study geared toward the U.S. market.

"It is something that we've already started looking into and that we'd like to do," he said. "We are currently looking for media partners so that we can target not only our customers, but also other U.S. users, to get a broad overview of the total market."

Click here to view the full report.