UKGC: Individual Slot Profit Data Not Held
A Freedom of Information request reveals the regulator does not track the profitability of specific online slot games like Fishing Frenzy.
An FOI request has confirmed the UK Gambling Commission does not hold data on the profits generated by individual slot games. The request sought figures for the popular title Fishing Frenzy but was denied as the regulator does not collect this information. This highlights a limitation in the financial data available for public and regulatory scrutiny at a product level.
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Regulator Confirms No Data on Individual Game Profits
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) does not collect or hold data on the profits generated by individual online slot games. This lack of granular data limits the public's ability to scrutinise the financial performance of specific, popular titles.
The disclosure came in response to a request filed on 18 April 2025. The applicant sought specific financial information related to the popular online slot game, Fishing Frenzy.
Context: Why This Data Matters
For consumers and researchers, understanding the profitability of individual games can be a key indicator of player risk. Highly profitable games may correlate with higher levels of player losses. Access to such data could inform player choice and contribute to research on gambling-related harm. However, this response confirms that the regulator's data collection does not operate at this product-specific level, focusing instead on operator-wide financial metrics.
Details of the FOI Request
The request asked for the total profit, in pounds sterling (GBP), that the slot game Fishing Frenzy generated for the operator Ladbrokes Coral between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2025.
In its official response, the Gambling Commission stated:
"The Gambling Commission does not collect information relating to the profits of individual online slot games as part of its regulatory functions. As such, there is no information held falling within the scope of your request."
The outcome was categorised as "Information not held." This means the Commission was not refusing to provide the data, but rather confirming that it does not possess it in the first place. This is a crucial distinction from requests that are denied on grounds of commercial sensitivity or other exemptions under the FOI Act.
Significance: A Gap in Public Transparency
The UKGC's response highlights the scope and limitations of its regulatory data collection. While the Commission monitors the overall Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) of its licence holders and ensures games are technically fair, it does not track the financial performance of the thousands of individual games available to UK players.
This means that neither the regulator nor the public can officially determine which specific slot titles are the most lucrative for gambling firms. For consumers, it underscores that transparency at the product level is limited. While operators hold this data internally, it is not part of the information they are required to submit to the regulator for public disclosure.
This confirmation clarifies that any analysis of the financial impact of specific games on player expenditure must rely on industry reporting or academic research rather than official regulatory data obtained via FOI requests.