UKGC Withholds Casino Win Data, Cites Future Publication
Regulator denies direct data request, pointing to existing complex reports and an upcoming data release for key performance metrics.
The UK Gambling Commission has withheld a specific summary of casino performance data requested via a Freedom of Information request. The regulator cited that older data is available in its public industry statistics and that the most recent data is scheduled for future publication.
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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has withheld specific performance data for land-based casinos, stating the information is either already accessible through other means or is scheduled for future publication.
The decision came in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 13 November 2023. The requester sought a summary of casino performance data for the last three financial years, a document they noted was previously produced by the regulator as a "Drop and Win Summary Sheet".
What Data Was Requested?
The request asked for key financial metrics from UK casinos:
- Total Drop: The total value of cash and equivalents exchanged for casino chips.
- Total Win: The amount retained by the casino after all winnings have been paid out to players. This is also known as Gross Gambling Yield (GGY).
- House Win %: The percentage of the total drop that is kept by the casino as profit.
- Number of Casinos: The total number of casino premises included in the figures.
This data provides a clear overview of the financial scale and profitability of the UK's land-based casino sector. For consumers, it offers insight into how much money is being staked and how much is being retained by operators as a whole.
The UKGC's Response
The Commission denied the request to provide a direct summary, citing two exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
For historical data, the UKGC invoked Section 21, stating the information is already accessible. It directed the requester to its "Industry Statistics – November 2022" publication. The regulator clarified that in its reports:
- Turnover corresponds to Drop.
- Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) corresponds to Win.
For the most recent financial year's data (FY23), the UKGC applied Section 22, which exempts information intended for future publication. The Commission stated that the latest statistics would be published "in the coming weeks" and that releasing the information ahead of its planned schedule was not in the public interest, arguing it was more cost-effective to maintain a regular publication schedule.
What This Means for Consumers
While the UKGC did not fulfil the request for a simple summary, its response confirms that the underlying data is, or will be, publicly available. However, the disappearance of the user-friendly "Drop and Win Summary Sheet" means consumers and researchers must now navigate the UKGC's larger, more complex industry statistics reports to find this information.
The refusal highlights the regulator's preference for releasing data on its own schedule and in its own format, rather than responding to ad-hoc requests for specific summaries. For individuals seeking to understand the performance of the casino sector, this means a greater effort is required to extract and analyse the relevant figures from comprehensive official publications.