SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
UK Gambling has generated an estimated £7.05bn in Gross Value Added (GVA) goods and services benefitting the British economy.
The figure was estimated by DCMS, which this morning published its updated ‘Economic Estimates’ for sectors managed under its departmental remit.
Research on DCMS sectors has been compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), with economic estimates applying the calculation of “gross value added (GVA) expressed in current prices” – not accounting for inflation.
DCMS’ updated report further highlights each sector’s ‘chained volume measures’ on jobs, earnings, exports and imports of goods and services, and the number of related businesses – a data segment impacted by inflation and represented as a monthly value.
2022 economic estimates were provided for ‘all DCMS sectors excluding Tourism’, which accounted for Civil Society, Creative Industries, Cultural Sector, Gambling and Sports.
The ONS continues to monitor the GVA of the UK’s Digital Sector separately, accounting for the contribution of its subsectors of Media, Telecoms, Software and IT Services.
The report noted that “GVA estimates are based on incomplete information and should only be used to illustrate general trends, rather than be taken as definitive measures.”
Updated estimates for 2022 detailed that all DCMS sectors excluding (digital and tourism) generated a total GVA of £161bn.
UK Gambling was the lowest contributor, generating a yearly GVA of £7.04 bn below the Culture Sector’s £32bn and Sports and Civil Society, which accounted for a GVA of £16bn each.
Yet, maintaining the biggest group of sub-sectors (advertising, design, crafts film/TV, publishing), Creative Industries generated DCMS biggest yearly GVA contribution of £120bn
Providing a breakdown on estimated monthly GVA output expressed as a ‘chained volume measure’ UK gambling generated DCMS lowest monthly average of £81m (January-to-December 2022).
UK gambling’s Chained Volume Measure was lower than the £113m average monthly contribution recorded by Creative Services, £98m by Sports and £104m and £101m recorded by Civil Society and the Cultural Sector.
Yet in its research, DCMS underlined that it had factored no individual sub-sectors attached to betting and gaming, as opposed to the other industries in which it provided a breakdown GVA contribution by ‘classified sub-sectors’.
The report acknowledged upcoming changes to DCMS remit and structure as “Figures for the Digital Sector and Telecoms are presented separately as responsibility for these policy areas now sits with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.”
Last week, PM Rishi Sunak reorganised departmental duties to ensure that “the UK can deliver on its economic promises”, calling for the creation of four new government departments.
The UK’s digital progress will now be overseen by the newly formed Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), led by former Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan.
As stands, UK gambling oversight will be maintained by DCMS, led by new secretary Lucy Frazer, the ninth Conservative minister to serve as Culture Secretary since 2016.
Prior to announcing departmental changes, DCMS had pledged to publish UK Gambling Review’s White Paper of Recommendations by February 2023, a date which remains in the balance following PM Sunak’s reorganisation of duties.
