Growth in consumer expenditure on sports betting during 2014 will be dominated by football as the FIFA World Cup adds its traditional uplift in business to a long-term upward trend in gambling on the sport.

As these forces push football further towards value parity with horserace betting so too are they moving the remote platforms that have facilitated soccer’s growth towards similar status against a retail segment that remains dominated by stagnating racing products.

This pattern of football and remote sector-led growth is expected to persist into the medium term, although online operators are likely to face significant cost challenges from the introduction of point-of-consumption regulation and taxation from the end of 2014, which could reduce their ability to invest in marketing and product development.

This report assesses current patterns of sports betting among British adults, examines the factors influencing the development of, and demand for, the market’s key platforms and assesses the opportunities likely to emerge around the 2014 World Cup.

Definition

Mintel defines sports betting as the placing of a bet on a sporting event with a bookmaker or on a betting exchange. It excludes on-course and private betting but includes in-play betting as well as wagers struck ante-post. Bets placed by the following means are considered within the scope of this report:

  • In a betting shop

  • With an online bookmaker (using a PC, tablet or smartphone)

  • Via telephone (voice call)

  • Through interactive television.

The main sports assessed in this report are:

  • Horseracing

  • Football/soccer

  • Dog racing

  • Tennis

  • Golf

  • Rugby union

  • Snooker

  • Cricket.

Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen’s Printer for Scotland.

Abbreviations

4G Fourth Generation Mobile Network
ASA Advertising Standards Authority
BSkyB British Sky Broadcasting
FIFA Fédération Internationale de Football Association
GPT Gross Profits Tax
GGY Gross Gambling Yield
IOC International Olympic Committee
NFC Near Field Communications
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