Market research firm Opinium today released the results of recent research focused on the “changing face” of the UK gambling customer as the nation’s industry is in the middle of an exponential growth.
The 13-page Gaming’s Not So Quiet Revolution: the Changing Face of the UK Punter is the first of a series of reports on the UK gambling industry. It presents general trends concerning the country’s gaming and betting market in its entirety. Opinium is planning to issue more reports, with those reviewing particular segments, including casino, betting, bingo, etc.
Among other things, Gaming’s Not So Quiet Revolution presents the three biggest challenges before UK-facing operators in a field of extreme and growing competition. The research firm has found that cross-selling, customer retention, and securing brand loyalty could prove a big issue for one operator or another in building its customer base and establishing itself in the UK market.
Here it is important to note that the survey was particularly focused on online gambling. To compile its report, Opinium interviewed 1,500 people who engaged in any form of online gaming or betting at least once a month.
When asked about what UK punters are looking for when opening an account with an operator, 42% of all sports betting customers picked good sign-up bonuses as the number one factor, while 25% said that they were usually looking for the best odds.
Of all interviewees, 33% said that sports betting was their exclusive online gambling activity, 11% were exclusive bingo players, and 8% turned out to be exclusive casino players.
In terms of gender, Opinium found out that the split between casino-only customers was much closer than many would think. According to the survey, 57% of all interviewed casino players were male and 43% were female.
The research firm reported that those aged 35-54 were more likely to engage in any type of gambling activity. That age bracket comprised 43% of Opinium’s sample. The generation of 18-34-year-olds represented 30% of Opinium’s sample.
Brand loyalty was another important matter paid special attention to by the research firm. Opinium found that casino players were the most likely to switch their preferred brand for another. According to the survey, 49% of those responded that they had done that. Bingo players appeared the most loyal customers in Opinium’s survey. Only 27% of the interviewed bingo players showed proneness to switching preferred brands.
The research firm revealed that it will publish more reports in the upcoming months, with each of them being focused on separate verticals.
