Connected data: understanding consumer betting behaviour

YouGov has made significant progress in understanding consumer behaviour through data-driven insights. The addition of zero-party financial data collection makes for a great tool to track and analyse changes in consumer spending habits over periods of time. With this dataset, we can specifically track spending behaviours within the realm of gambling, gaining valuable insights into this dynamic landscape.
Looking at financial data only to examine non-cash bets, we see that May 2023 was a comparatively quiet month for those British bettors who wager less than £100 a month. The number of male bettors placing bets totalling less than £100 in May was 33% lower than April. For female bettors, this decline was even more pronounced with a 39% drop-off.

Much of this, of course, can be attributed to the Grand National’s position in the betting calendar, an occasion when many people place one of the few, or sometimes the only bet they make in a year. This data is based on a nationally representative sample of 2,813 YouGov panellists who have connected their spending data via open banking.

By contrast, the number of those who placed bets totalling more than £100 in May showed very little movement and in fact there was a fractional increase in this category of spending compared to April. In May, 6.6% of males placed bets totalling £100 or more, up from 6.3%. The similar rate of increase was observed among female bettors in this category as well, with the share moving to 3.6% from 3.3%. The relative stability in the shares of those betting over £100 is an indication that more seasoned gamblers are therefore less influenced by marquee seasonal events.

The data also shows that the most significant declines for those who spent less than £100 on bets in May compared to April were those aged 61 and above – 7% of this group placed a bet in April compared to only 3% in May. On the other hand, the share of youngsters – those aged between 18 and 30 – staking less than £100 actually grew, thus bucking the monthly trend in the category. This, perhaps, is an indicator of older punters being more drawn to showpiece events like the Grand National, thus causing
the subsequent dip in May. In fact, an earlier study had revealed that Brits aged over 51 made up 72% of those who said they would definitely be betting on the Grand National, which takes place at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool in April every year.

Spending patterns

Segmenting our financial data with YouGov’s wider data can help us to discover the ‘who’ element of consumer behaviour too. Looking at a longer timeframe, the first half of 2023, we see in terms of age that there is little to distinguish between those bettors placing less than £100 a month on average and those placing more than this amount for most age groups. There is a small reduction in share of bets placed by those aged 61 or older, which drops from 19% for less than £100 placed to 15% in the more than £100 placed.

By contrast, the split between male and female bettors is more pronounced. Indeed, in our nationally representative sample, one-fifth of males (20%) placed non-cash bets averaging less than £100 a month in the first half of 2023 compared to about one in seven women (15%). Essentially, men make up 57% of those who bet less than £100 a month, with women making up 43% of that group. However, among bettors who place bets of over £100 a month on average, the share of male bettors increases by five percentage points to 62%.

Having worked for YouGov for over a decade, Oliver Rowe has advised companies including Tesco and Barclays on their reputation management. He now brings that experience to a sector which includes the betting and gaming industry in his role as global sector head for leisure and entertainment.