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Online casino searches at 'all-time high' during lockdown

In May 2020 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported search interest in online casinos had hit an all-time high in the UK since lockdown began, according to data.

Google Trends showed gambling had moved online amid the closure of physical gambling venues and cancellation of sports events.

Problem gamblers told the BBC lockdown measures were a "recipe for disaster".

Watchdog the Gambling Commission said there had been a rise in some online gambling, but there was no evidence yet of a rise in problem gambling.

The Shared Data Unit makes data journalism available to news organisations across the media industry, as part of a partnership between the BBC and the News Media Association. Stories generated by the partnership included:

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Background and briefing

Visualisation

  • Line chart: All-time search interest in the topic "Casinos" in the UK from Google Trends
  • Bar chart: Cities where searches about casinos were most popular from 19 February-19 May 2020

Related repos

You can find all coronavirus-related stories by the BBC data units tagged 'coronavirus' here

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