Blog What's next for the UK Online Betting market? - Plimsoll Publishing UK

MPs calling for a £2-per-bet limit on popular online games to combat what they say is a “public health crisis” will completely change the make-up of the UK online gambling market.

Sloganeering such as “unregulated wild west” and “addictive as crack cocaine” are likely to resonate with the general public and garner broad support, especially in the current, political atmosphere. The fact that law makers have named the £2 limit from the very start, suggests that these proposals have teeth despite obvious concerns that it will merely drive people onto unregulated gambling sites.

When companies lost retail business from the FOBT regulation changes in April, they increasingly replaced instore revenue with online streams – web-based revenues have grown from £1.2bn in 2007 to £5.6bn in 2018.

If the next government carries through with the proposed changes, what next for the UK Online Gambling market? A wave of mergers or takeovers and, unfortunately, more than a few corporate failures are highly likely. The market would need a prolonged period of fairly intensely consolidation.

With this in mind, Plimsoll, the UK’s leading market and company analysts, have produced a special study on the UK’s 131 leading Online Betting Companies highlighting which companies are already in financial difficulty and least able to sustained compromised revenue streams while they search for alternatives.

The new Plimsoll Analysis assesses each of the UK’s Online Betting Companies looking at their short- and long-term financial health, overall trend in performance, future durability and potential for acquisition. Based on the latest financial data for each company, this new analysis shows:

• 68 of the 133 companies are already rated as Caution or Danger – the former suggests growing issues whereas the latter indicates immediate improvements are required

• 34 of the companies included are ripe for takeover – these companies are independently owned and with a large difference between current and future value. If the market is to consolidate in the short-term, Plimsoll considers these the most attractive targets

• 8 companies have lost more than a quarter of their value – As profit margins are increasingly under pressure, valuations have fallen significantly in the latest period

The UK Online Betting market is likely to be severely buffeted by new legislation. Once the new rules are in place the shape of the industry and the companies remaining will change significantly. The Plimsoll Analysis provides an easy means of highlighting those companies ill prepared to survive, those well placed to make a strategic acquisition or two and the players powering ahead in spite of it all.

Order the November edition of the Plimsoll Analysis today and you will receive:

• PDF of the November Plimsoll Analysis (delivered within 3 hours)
• A Paper Copy (which be printed, bound and sent to you via overnight courier)
• Updated copies of the PDF report (sent via email) as soon as they are published
• Individual analysis of the UK’s 133 largest Online Betting Companies
• 6 months access to the online and interactive version of the Plimsoll Analysis (TALAT)

Price: £350 (+VAT).

To order this exclusive offer, click the link above.