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Revealed: worst areas in England for gamers during lockdown
- South West bottom of the pile for broadband speeds, with five of the ten areas where gamers are most likely to disrupt gameplay
- Cities of London and Westminster the worst area for access to superfast broadband
- Kingston Upon Hull ranks the highest for the best place to play video games online based on average speeds and availability of superfast broadband
New research from comparethemarket.com reveals the areas in England that are the worst for gamers, with gameplay in Central Devon the most likely to be disrupted due to poor broadband speeds.
The research analyses the average download speed (Mbps), superfast broadband availability and the percentage of households’ ability to receive decent broadband.
Gamers based in the South West score the least points when it comes to connection speed, with five out of the top ten worst hit areas in England. With Central Devon having the dubious distinction of being the worst in the country, Torridge and West Devon, Forest of Dean, Somerton and Frome, and Tiverton and Honiton all suffer disruption from poorer broadband speeds.
Some may be surprised to see the Cities of London and Westminster ranked the 10th worst constituency for gamers overall. When it comes to access to superfast broadband, this area takes the last place out of all areas, with a quarter unable to access the very fastest connection. By comparison, in Luton North and Leicester West, superfast broadband availability is 100%.
Kingston Upon Hull is hailed as the best place for gamers, ranking top in the country for average speeds and the availability of superfast broadband. Less than 2% of the area’s households have access to decent broadband. Other cities areas that rank highly for gamers include Grimsby, Gillingham and Rainham in the South East, and Nottingham North in the East Midlands.
Top 10 – England’s worst areas for gamers
|
Rank |
Area Name | Region | Average speed (MBPS) | Superfast availability | Unable to receive decent broadband |
| 10 | Cities of London and Westminster | London | 34.41 | 75% | 0% |
| 9 | Somerton and Frome | South West | 42.75 | 82% | 10% |
| 8 | Harwich and North Essex | East of England | 37.06 | 83% | 9% |
| 7 | Tiverton and Honiton | South West | 31.89 | 81% | 9% |
| 6 | North Herefordshire | West Midlands | 35.09 | 80% | 9% |
| 5 | Penrith and The Border | North West | 36.01 | 81% | 12% |
| 4 | Ludlow | West Midlands | 33.09 | 81% | 11% |
| 3 | Forest of Dean | South West | 31.61 | 79% | 10% |
| 2 | Torridge and West Devon | South West | 34.01 | 81% | 12% |
| 1 | Central Devon | South West | 34.05 | 77% | 12% |
Top 10 – England’s best areas for gamers
|
Rank |
Area Name | Region | Average speed (MBPS) | Superfast availability | Unable to receive decent broadband |
| 1 | Kingston upon Hull East | Yorkshire and The Humber | 137.44 | 99% | 1% |
| 2 | Kingston upon Hull North | Yorkshire and The Humber | 132.15 | 100% | 1% |
| 3 | Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle | Yorkshire and The Humber | 122.24 | 99% | 2% |
| 4 | Crawley | South East | 88.40 | 99% | 0% |
| 5 | Filton and Bradley Stoke | South West | 93.49 | 98% | 1% |
| 6 | Luton North | East of England | 84.10 | 100% | 0% |
| 7 | Morecambe and Lunesdale | North West | 87.70 | 99% | 0% |
| 8 | Great Grimsby | Yorkshire and The Humber | 89.56 | 98% | 1% |
| 9 | Stevenage | East of England | 86.93 | 99% | 0% |
| 10 | Gillingham and Rainham | South East | 86.61 | 99% | 0% |
Holly Niblett, head of digital at comparethemarket.com, commented:
“Lockdown has seen a surge in the number of people relying on the internet for work and leisure. There is a wide disparity in the connection speeds and access to superfast broadband across the country, with people facing a particularly hostile environment in parts of the south west. For many, a reliable internet connection is a lifeline during a difficult time.
“Our new speed-test tool allows people to see how fast their broadband speed is and what better deals and speed is available in their area, because for many households, a fast download speed is a deal-breaker when it comes to choosing a provider. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we have seen a steep rise in the number of customers switching online to the fastest packages during isolation.”
comparethemarket’s tips for improving your broadband speed:
1. Test the speed of your broadband connection
You can run a speed test on comparethemarket’s new speed-checker tool, which enables users to check how long it will take to download a film or game in their area: http://www.comparethemarket.com/broadband/speed-test You’ll be shown both your download and upload speeds.
2. Move your router away from other devices
Keep your router as far away as possible from other electrical equipment and devices that emit wireless signals, such as cordless phones, baby monitors and computer speakers. Try to place your router on a table or shelf rather than on the floor and keep it switched on.
3. Turn off WiFi on devices you’re not using
If you have multiple devices such as tablets and smartphones running in the background, it can slow down your broadband, so try switching WiFi off on these when you’re not using them. You should also avoid carrying out data-heavy tasks like HD streaming, gaming or video calls at the same time as others in your household.
4. Give your computer a spring clean
There are many applications on your PC that could affect your broadband speed, some without you even realising it. A few simple quick fixes include making sure your anti-virus software is up to date, making sure you’re using the latest version of your web browser, such as Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge and clearing your cache and browser history.
For more information on the research, please go to: https://www.comparethemarket.com/broadband/content/best-cities-in-england-for-gamers/
Methodology:
The following table reveals the areas of England where gamers are most likely to disrupt gameplay due to bad broadband speeds.
Data taken directly from the source are in the columns titled Area name, Region, Average speed (MBPS), Superfast availability and unable to receive decent broadband.
To calculate the index we first normalised the data categories individually from 0 to 1 and then summed the results.
On this scale, for
- Average speed – The higher index would be weighted closer to 1 – detailed in the average speed weighting column
- Superfast availability – The higher index is weighted closer to 1 – detailed in the superfast weighting column
- Unable to receive decent broadband – The higher index is weighted closer to 0 – detailed in the Decent broadband weighting column
Total and rankings were determined by the above.
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Latest News
Boomerang Partners delivered expert sports insights during two days of iGB L!VE London 2026
From July 1 to 2 inclusive, Boomerang Partners, an Affiliate Gambling & Betting Marketing Agency, participated in iGB L!VE London on stand F50. One of the world’s largest iGaming events was held on a grand scale at ExCeL London. It proved to be an effective networking platform for major operators, affiliate teams, tech vendors, and game providers.
Meetings, sports expertise, and new agreements
One of the main topics attracting visitors to the stand was Boomerang’s expertise in sports. The company runs one of the leading sports-focused affiliate programs in the industry and is eager to share its expertise with market players. This knowledge is built on the support of a strong in-house analytics department, and one of its results was the launch of the Sports Marketing and Betting Calendar 2026 earlier this year. Numerous affiliate teams use insights from this guide to launch and run campaigns throughout the current year, which is packed with high-level sports competitions.
Shortlist in the Best Affiliate Programme category
On July 2, the final day of the conference, the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026 ceremony took place in a stylish venue at the legendary The Shard. Boomerang Partners were shortlisted in the prestigious Best Affiliate Programme category. This marked a high recognition of the company’s achievements by industry leaders. In 2026, it celebrates its 5th anniversary. Boomerang has over 3,000 active affiliate partners, 10+ partner brands in its portfolio, and is an Official Regional Partner of AC Milan. Since July 2026, the partnership has entered its third season – a collaboration that has become a benchmark for cooperation between one of the world’s leading football clubs and a top iGaming company.
Kristina Shkredova, Affiliate Team Lead at Boomerang Partners, commented: “iGB L!VE London is always a powerful platform for meaningful dialogue and professional networking. This year, we felt a particularly strong interest in our sports-focused expertise, which confirms that affiliates are looking for deep market knowledge, not just traffic volumes. Now our sights are set on SBC Summit Lisbon, where we will once again connect with affiliates and showcase what we do best.”
What’s next
The next major industry exhibition where affiliate teams can see Boomerang Partners will be the SBC Summit Lisbon. The event will take place from September 29 to October 1, and the company has announced that it will also hold the Golden Boomerang Awards 2026 award ceremony in Lisbon. The TOP 30 teams of this landmark annual affiliate traffic tournament will visit a secret location, where the company will announce the winners in 11 categories. The third season is in full swing – affiliate teams can follow its progress or join the participation on the GBA’s official website.
About Boomerang
Boomerang Partners is a rapidly growing global marketing agency offering a wide range of services. Boomerang Partners is an Official Regional Partner of AC Milan. In 2024, it launched the inaugural Golden Boomerang Awards – a global tournament for affiliate teams. More than 400 affiliate teams participated in the second season of the tournament in 2025. Partners of the Agency launched six new products in 2024-2025, contributing to a nearly 1.5-fold increase in product users.
The Agency’s clients’ portfolio contains 10+ brands offering affiliate and entertainment services across multiple markets in compliance with local regulations. These products provide incentive programs and 24/7 multilingual support.
activity report 2025
GGL Publishes Activity Report 2025
The German Gambling Authority (GGL) has published its latest activity report for 2025. The report highlights the GGL’s measures in supervising legal providers and its latest work against illegal gambling.
Supervision and Licensing of Legal Providers Further Systematised
While previous years focused primarily on granting licenses, in 2025 the emphasis shifted significantly to the structured supervision of licensed providers. Key instruments included supervisory discussions, both ad hoc and proactive measures based on reports and market observations. Internal collaboration between the relevant departments was further intensified, contributing to a uniform and consistent supervisory practice.
Further Development of the Technical Infrastructure and Supervisory Systems
The expansion of the technical infrastructure was further advanced. The goal is to create a reliable and comparable data basis for supervision, analysis and future regulatory decisions. Enforcing the mandatory and correct use of the safe servers by the authorised providers remained a challenging process in 2025, but it is the foundation for the necessary improvement in data quality.
Focusing the Fight Against Illegal Gambling on the Entire Market Environment
In 2025, the approach to combating illegal online gambling was further refined and consistently aligned with the entire market environment. In addition to measures against the operators themselves, the focus is increasingly shifting to the service providers involved. This approach ensures that illegal offerings are not viewed in isolation, but rather addressed within their market and process contexts.
In 2025, GGL worked closely with platform operators to further reduce the visibility of illegal content in the digital space.
Market measurement has been further developed scientifically. Due to its opaque and dynamic structure, the evaluation of the development of the illegal gambling market requires a particularly robust methodological basis. The 2025 activity report therefore does not include any independent figures on the size of the illegal market for the year 2025. Instead, the presentation is based on the results of the scientific study “Investigation of the black market and channeling of gambling on the internet based on a survey of gamblers”.
GGL deliberately chose this approach to increase the validity and comparability of the market data and to ensure methodologically sound results.
This study, already published, shows that in 2024 the market volume of illegal and therefore unregulated online gambling will be 23%. This results in a channeling rate of 77%. This means that legal or regulated offerings account for more than three-quarters of the online gambling market.
The existing study will be continued so that a scientifically sound data basis on the development of the illegal market can be provided.
Outlook 2026: 5 Years of GGL Mean Evaluation and Further Development
The developments so far show an increasing consolidation of the supervisory and enforcement structures within the framework of the State Treaty on Gambling 2021.
The focus in the coming years will be on the legally required evaluation, the preparation of the new licensing cycle from 2027 onwards, and the further strengthening of data-based and scientifically sound supervisory instruments.
The 2025 activity report can be found under Publications of the Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States – Annual Reports.
The post GGL Publishes Activity Report 2025 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Ageeth Bakker
Ageeth Bakker Joins Nederlandse Loterij as CFRO
The Dutch national gambling operator, Nederlandse Loterij, has appointed Ageeth Bakker as its Chief Financial & Risk Officer (CFRO).
Since 2019, Ageeth Bakker was CFRO and a member of the Executive Board of Bovemij Group. Last week, she stepped down from that financial institution in the mobility sector, which specialises in insurance, guarantees and data services. Prior to that, Bakker was Chairperson/Managing Director of Onderlinge Waarborggroep Centramed. She also worked at Achmea Group for 13 years, six of which were in various executive positions; including as Director of Finance, Risk and Supply Chain Management at Centraal Beheer and Financial Director of Avéro Achmea.
Raymond Knops, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Nederlandse Loterij, said: “The Supervisory Board is pleased to welcome a highly experienced executive like Ageeth Bakker as CFRO of Nederlandse Loterij. Her extensive expertise in finance and risk and a career in regulated sectors are an excellent fit for this board position. With the arrival of Ageeth Bakker, the board is at full strength to further realize Nederlandse Loterij’s strategic ambitions as the most responsible gambling provider and the largest driver of sports and physical activity.”
Ageeth Bakker said: “What particularly appeals to me about Nederlandse Loterij is the combination of a strong social mission and a leading position in the gambling sector. With ten trusted brands, Nederlandse Loterij offers players a safe and responsible range of lotteries and online games of chance, the proceeds of which benefit society. I am happy to contribute to that. I look forward to working with the Board and all colleagues to continue building a successful and future-proof organization, so that we can continue to increase our social contribution.”
The post Ageeth Bakker Joins Nederlandse Loterij as CFRO appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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