Short answer: Before comparing an iGaming number, ask five questions: what exactly is measured, which population is covered, what denominator is used, which dates apply and whether the series can be revised. A percentage without its denominator and a revenue figure without its currency, jurisdiction and definition are not analysis-ready data.
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1. Definition
Turnover, deposits, stakes, gross gambling yield, revenue and net gaming revenue are not interchangeable. The UK Gambling Commission defines turnover as money accrued through sales of gambling products before winnings and overheads are deducted, while industry publications use Gross Gambling Yield for operator yield under their reporting definitions.
Copy the source’s wording into a data dictionary and map any internal metric to it. If the mapping is approximate, label it rather than silently renaming the field.
2. Population and coverage
State jurisdiction, licence population, product sectors and whether the data covers all reporters or a subset. Business data from large operators may describe most of a market without being a census. Survey data describes respondents and carries sampling uncertainty.
Account, player and person are different units. One person can hold multiple accounts, while active-account definitions can depend on the reporting window.
3. Denominator and period
A rate needs both numerator and denominator. Self-exclusions per 1,000 active accounts differs from self-exclusions per 1,000 people, and monthly active users cannot be compared with annual unique users without a cohort bridge. Record calendar dates, timezone, fiscal-year convention and whether the value is a snapshot or flow.
Seasonality can dominate short windows. Compare like periods and show the raw counts beside rates when disclosure allows.
4. Revisions and 5. comparability
Regulatory returns can be corrected. The Commission’s methodology notes quality checks and later updates when new data changes earlier estimates. Store retrieval date, release version and revision status instead of treating a downloaded cell as immutable.
Method changes can break trends. When a survey says results are not comparable with previous publications, do not draw a year-on-year line across the break. Keep a visible series boundary and explain it in every derived chart.
Five-question data card
| Question | Required field | Failure example |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Source wording and unit | Revenue used for GGY |
| Population | Jurisdiction and coverage | Accounts called people |
| Denominator | Raw numerator and base | Rate with no base |
| Period | Start/end and timezone | Monthly vs annual |
| Revision | Version and retrieval date | Silent overwrite |
Continue inside this guide
- iGaming analytics metric design
- Gaming compliance reporting
- Responsible gambling metrics
- Sportsbook margin data
Sources and scope
Sources were checked on 12 August 2026. They support the definitions and consumer checks below; they do not endorse this site or any gambling decision.
- UK Gambling Commission: industry statistics 2024 to 2025
- UK Gambling Commission: industry statistics methodology
- UK Gambling Commission: industry statistics definitions
FAQ
What is the first thing to check in an iGaming chart?
Read the metric definition and denominator. A polished chart cannot repair an ambiguous measure.
Can accounts be counted as players?
Not without a documented identity and deduplication rule. One person may control more than one account.
Why store retrieval dates?
Official datasets can be revised. A retrieval date and release version make a result reproducible.
Related checks on this site
These routes connect this answer with closer checks, methodology and fresh local coverage.
