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3 in 10 Brits Have Skipped a Shower or a Meal to Play Video Games in Lockdown
More Brits than ever played video games last year to beat the boredom of staying home, and our third lockdown in 2021 has seen the trend gain even more traction. With games being released on more platforms, and more genres than ever now is an excellent time to be a gamer!
Fresh Student Living took a deep dive into the gaming industry in the UK to see just what an impact Covid has had on gaming.
More than four in ten UK gamers say they’ve been gaming more during the COVID-19 outbreak (43%). Plus, UK gamers now make up over two thirds of the population (67%); six in ten of this group say they play mobile games (52%); a quarter PC games (25%); and three in ten console games (28%).
When the pandemic first put a stop to everyday life, the gaming world expanded with regular players putting in even more time, and new people joining the trend to connect with friends, kill time and indulge in much-needed escapism. As more people picked up controllers, the UK gaming population exploded by a whopping 63%! People reported feeling happier and calmer, with a higher sense of freedom, thanks to how immersive the best video games are.
The Average Gamer Spent the Equivalent of 39 Days Playing Last Year
Games like FIFA 21, Call of Duty, Animal Crossing and Last of Us were some of the most played games of 2020, with 3 in 10 people skipping showers and meals to play uninterrupted. Almost 6 in 10 Brits also admit to losing sleep due to gaming sessions.
Pre lockdown, the average gamer spent around 13 hours a week playing their favourites. This increased by 5 hours during lockdown with Brits spending 18 hours or more exploring new worlds online – that’s equivalent to 39 whole days spent gaming!
The average gamer usually sets aside a conservative 1-3 hours to play, but in the UK, at least 3% of the population confesses to playing for 15 hours or more in one sitting.
What Video Games is Everyone Playing?
Most Played Video Games of 2020 According to Units Sold
FIFA 21 dominated in 2020 as one of the most anticipated games in the UK, with around 14 games selling per second in the UK last year.
- FIFA 21 (2.18 million)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (1.4 million)
- Grand Theft Auto 5 (1.1 million)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (800,000)
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (660,000)
- The Last of Us Part II (530,000)
- NBA 2K20 (480,000)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (430,000)
More Brits Are Hooked on Video Games
Lockdown has given us all more time to kill, and today the split between male and female video gamers is strictly 50-50. In the UK, 54% of men and women play a game most days, lowering stress and connecting with others being two of the primary motivators.
Multiplayer Games Keep us Connected
With time to kill and social distancing in effect for most of last year, multiplayer games’ popularity soared as more people jumped online to chat and connect. Even ex-gamers again picked up their controllers to join online communities playing games like Call of Duty, Animal Crossing or Fortnite.
Unsurprisingly, lockdown saw most Brits opt for action-packed and interactive genres, with most gamers choosing fighting, action and huge multiplayer Battle Royale games with lots of other players!
Most played genres in 2020
- Fighting – 81%
- Action – 79%
- Massively multiplayer online games – 78%
- Multiplayer online battle arena games – 75%
The Rise of Covideogamers in 2021
Lockdown has massively changed the gaming community across the world. In the UK, younger gamers spend loads of time playing while self-isolating and spend around two hours a month watching other people play online – a pastime that has increased since lockdown began.
The pandemic has also created a whole new subgenre of gamers known as Covideogamers, who exclusively started gaming during lockdown. Compared to 36% of existing gamers between the ages of 18 – 34, Covideogamers now make up 46% of the population in the same age group – 35% of these new gamers have also admitted it’s so relaxing and stress-relieving, they’re going to start playing more, long after lockdown ends!
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Award-winning sportsbook provider strengthens LATAM presence by integrating with leading iGaming platform ecosystem ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
2, June 2026: Altenar, a leading sportsbook provider, has partnered with Atlaslive to integrate its fully managed sportsbook into the company’s iGaming platform ecosystem, expanding access to its award-winning sports betting technology for operators across Latin America.
Through the integration, Atlaslive-powered operators will gain access to Altenar’s complete sportsbook solution alongside the platform’s existing infrastructure, enabling operators to choose the sportsbook configuration that best aligns with their market strategy, regulatory requirements, and player acquisition goals.
The partnership further strengthens Altenar’s presence across LATAM and supports its strategy of making flexible, high-performance sportsbook technology available through leading platform providers. By combining Altenar’s sportsbook capabilities with Atlaslive’s scalable platform environment, operators benefit from greater deployment flexibility without compromising on performance, trading depth, or operational efficiency.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, demand for scalable and reliable sportsbook technology is expected to increase significantly. The integration positions operators to capitalise on one of the highest-volume periods in the sports betting calendar with reduced implementation timelines and a proven sportsbook solution designed to perform under peak demand.
Altenar currently operates across more than 50 regulated jurisdictions and holds licences from major regulatory authorities including the UKGC, MGA and AGCO. Most recently, the company was recognised as Best Online Sportsbook Provider at the SiGMA South America Awards 2026, following its Sportsbook Supplier of the Year win at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024.
Frederico Caputi, Senior Sales Manager at Altenar, said:
“We are pleased to partner with Atlaslive and bring our sportsbook technology to their growing operator network. This integration expands the reach of our fully managed sportsbook solution while giving operators more flexibility in how they build and scale their sports betting offering.
“Through this collaboration, operators gain access to a proven sportsbook product that combines live betting capabilities, advanced risk management, and extensive sports content with the speed and scalability required to succeed in competitive markets.”
Volodymyr Taftai, Country Director for Brazil at Atlaslive, added:
“Giving operators real choice in how they build their sportsbook is a competitive advantage – for them and for us. Altenar’s track record across regulated markets and their depth in risk management and trading make them the right partner to start with. We’re expanding our platform into a multi-sportsbook ecosystem because that’s what operators in today’s market need: flexibility without compromise on quality.”
The agreement reinforces Altenar’s commitment to building an open and adaptable sportsbook ecosystem that enables operators and platform providers to deliver differentiated sports betting experiences across regulated markets worldwide.
The post Altenar partners with Atlaslive to expand sportsbook offering across LATAM appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Award cites engagement features in EGT Digital’s Sportsbook, including Jackpot Sport and an Early Payout Suite.
EGT Digital has won the Sportsbook Player Experience Innovation award at the SiGMA Asia Awards 2026, the company said.
According to EGT Digital, the award recognises engagement features built into its Sportsbook product, aimed at combining live betting, gamification and real-time rewards in a single user experience.
The company highlighted Jackpot Sport, which it describes as a progressive jackpot integrated into live betting. EGT Digital said qualifying in-play bets also act as entries into a jackpot pool.
EGT Digital also pointed to its Early Payout Suite, which it said enables selected bets to settle before full time in specific match scenarios. The company said these features sit alongside its integration models, personalisation tools and promotional mechanics.
The post EGT Digital wins Sportsbook Player Experience Innovation at SiGMA Asia Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Award-winning sportsbook provider strengthens LATAM presence by integrating with leading iGaming platform ecosystem ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
2, June 2026: Altenar, a leading sportsbook provider, has partnered with Atlaslive to integrate its fully managed sportsbook into the company’s iGaming platform ecosystem, expanding access to its award-winning sports betting technology for operators across Latin America.
Through the integration, Atlaslive-powered operators will gain access to Altenar’s complete sportsbook solution alongside the platform’s existing infrastructure, enabling operators to choose the sportsbook configuration that best aligns with their market strategy, regulatory requirements, and player acquisition goals.
The partnership further strengthens Altenar’s presence across LATAM and supports its strategy of making flexible, high-performance sportsbook technology available through leading platform providers. By combining Altenar’s sportsbook capabilities with Atlaslive’s scalable platform environment, operators benefit from greater deployment flexibility without compromising on performance, trading depth, or operational efficiency.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, demand for scalable and reliable sportsbook technology is expected to increase significantly. The integration positions operators to capitalise on one of the highest-volume periods in the sports betting calendar with reduced implementation timelines and a proven sportsbook solution designed to perform under peak demand.
Altenar currently operates across more than 50 regulated jurisdictions and holds licences from major regulatory authorities including the UKGC, MGA and AGCO. Most recently, the company was recognised as Best Online Sportsbook Provider at the SiGMA South America Awards 2026, following its Sportsbook Supplier of the Year win at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024.
Frederico Caputi, Senior Sales Manager at Altenar, said:
“We are pleased to partner with Atlaslive and bring our sportsbook technology to their growing operator network. This integration expands the reach of our fully managed sportsbook solution while giving operators more flexibility in how they build and scale their sports betting offering.
“Through this collaboration, operators gain access to a proven sportsbook product that combines live betting capabilities, advanced risk management, and extensive sports content with the speed and scalability required to succeed in competitive markets.”
Volodymyr Taftai, Country Director for Brazil at Atlaslive, added:
“Giving operators real choice in how they build their sportsbook is a competitive advantage – for them and for us. Altenar’s track record across regulated markets and their depth in risk management and trading make them the right partner to start with. We’re expanding our platform into a multi-sportsbook ecosystem because that’s what operators in today’s market need: flexibility without compromise on quality.”
The agreement reinforces Altenar’s commitment to building an open and adaptable sportsbook ecosystem that enables operators and platform providers to deliver differentiated sports betting experiences across regulated markets worldwide.
The post Altenar partners with Atlaslive to expand sportsbook offering across LATAM appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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