The online gambling industry has kept growing even after the easing of lockdown measures, as the UK Gambling Commission's market research plainly shows. Further studies about the subject have been published, which have shown that the overall turnaround has increased substantially even after the pandemic measures had been eased.

This data comes from a more extensive investigation concerning the market's financial behaviour between March 2020 and September 2020. The study covers both online and in-person gambling, including sports betting & online casinos, and it includes several metrics, including data provided by licenced gambling sites.

While Australian habits tend to mirror what we see in the UK, it's not always the case. However, in the case of gambling, the statistics follow suit.

According to the Gambling Commission's study, in September:

- The number of active online casino accounts in the UK increased by 7%. We see similar figures in Australia.

- Sportsbook operators also saw a 7% increase in the number of placed stakes. This correlates with the Premier League's return, one of the highest betted sporting competitions in the United Kingdom.

- The average gambling session lasted for 21 minutes, remaining constant, but there was a 3% decrease in the number of longer sessions lasting for over an hour.

The rise in sports betting and the decrease in time spent on online slots show the market's tendency to normalize itself. Amid the hardcore lockdown days, sports betting was decreased by 31-50%, while online casinos experienced rapid growth. In fact, previous issues of the Commission's research showed that 57% of players betted at least on online casinos when there were no sporting events taking place.

Whether it was due to people being bored or bettors flocking to online casinos, the amount of money gambled on online casinos between March and April increased drastically.

The Australian credit bureau Illion made a joint study together with analytics firm AlphaBeta to investigate the numbers. They concluded that online gambling had increased by 67% during March 30 and April 5, 2020. The Australian Institute of Family Studies, AIFS, further strengthened this statistic by surveying 2000 Australian males about their gambling habits. The results reveal that both the frequency of gambling and the monthly spendings increased from $687 to $1,075. This is a substantial increase for the average male in the amount of money spent on gambling.

The metrics coming abroad also give some insight into the behaviour shifts in gambling. The National Gambling Helpline hasn't released any figures yet, but calls to gambling helplines slightly increased during the lockdown in Finland and Canada. However, after the easing of lockdown measures, the number of calls decreased by 10-15% compared to last year.

It remains to be seen if these numbers mean that problem gambling awareness has grown or if the figures are just coincidental. But one thing is certain – more people are gambling online than ever before, and we hope that they are engaging in it responsibly.