Gaming Industry to Deliver 15k New Jobs to the UK in the Next Five Years

Posted on: June 7, 2022, 05:43h. 

Last updated on: June 7, 2022, 12:02h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

The gaming industry in the UK is about to go through a number of fundamental changes. However, if a new report is correct, it will still bring a significant number of employment opportunities to the country.

Betfred
A Betfred sports betting shop in the UK. The sports betting and gambling industries are going to create significant jobs for the country. (Image: Alamy)

The UK’s regulated gaming and betting industry will create 15,000 jobs over the next five years, according to the Purpose Coalition in a “Levelling Up” report. This comes even as the sector faces what some feel may be overzealous government crackdowns.

Online gaming and betting have already created 10,000 highly skilled jobs in tech and supported another 30,000 positions. Industry experts predict that there will be more job creation beyond London, based on current global trends.

Gaming Takes a Leading Role in UK Employment

The Purpose Coalition report outlines how members of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), Entain and bet365, as well as others, are at the forefront of technology and entertainment development.

Employment spans the UK, boosting a number of local economies, as well. Nearly two-thirds are based outside London, with almost 20,000 residing in the West Midlands.

BGC members have established tech powerhouses, such as Stoke, where 4,000 people work, and Leeds, where 1,700 people work. They also support Britain’s popular areas with modern betting shops and casinos.

Our members are global leaders in the betting and gaming industry, with the online betting, gaming, and bingo sector now on track to deliver another 15,000 high-paid, high-skilled jobs. The only thing that risks that growth will be poorly conceived regulations that hamper business and threaten jobs,” stated BGC CEO Michael Dugher.

The report highlighted the promise to create 5,000 apprenticeships by 2025. It also emphasized the industry’s promise to contribute another £20 million (US$24.96 million) for training and development programs.

The UK’s gaming and betting sectors support 119,000 jobs and generate £4.5 billion (US$5.61 billion) in taxes for the country’s treasury. This is a significant contribution toward the national Levelling Up campaign.

Ongoing Commitment to the People

The gaming industry is dedicated to providing opportunities for their communities through various initiatives, such as the Bet365 Foundation and Entain Global Foundation. Both contribute hundreds of millions of pounds, as well as other methods of support, to different causes in the country.

Employees also get involved in charities and organizations to help people in their communities, as well as the environment. This includes the Team Talk Project Kindred and William Hill’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral.

Even without regulatory intervention, most operators in the betting and gaming industries have dedicated programs to promote safer gambling. The problem gambling rate has fallen to 0.2%, according to a recent survey by the UK Gambling Commission. This seems to indicate that operators have a handle on the situation.

The sector is facing a white paper in the coming weeks. This has the potential to churn up the relatively calm gambling waters, especially if the government implements some of the new measures that rumors indicate might be coming.

There are concerns that a restrictive gambling industry will undo all of the hard work operators have put into it. As a result, the black market may witness an increase in activity, defeating the purpose of the new regulations and erasing many of the potential new jobs the industry could deliver.