UK spent £179 million on mobile games in 2009

New data release by the UK National Gamers Survey Report throws a very optimistic light on the mobile games industry, highlighting that the UK spent over £170 million on mobile games in 2009.

This equates to around half of all mobile gamers paying for content on a regular basis, with the 20 - 34 age range accounting for 60 per cent of paying players. Genders are represented almost equally, with 53 per cent of paying gamers being male, and 47 per cent female.

It's no surprise to hear that the iPhone is the most successful handset when it comes to bringing in the paying gamers, with 85 percent of users measured as paying for their content. Naturally, this has seen O2 come out as the champion in terms of successful game-providing operators.

Perhaps more interesting is the method by which paying gamers adopt their handsets. More than three quarters of paying mobile gamers are on contract, rather than PAYG, suggesting carrier billing is still a favoured option when it comes to buying mobile games.