Online Growth Pushes Great Britain Gambling Yield to £17.5B

LONDON – Great Britain’s customer-facing gambling industry generated £17.5 billion in gross gambling yield during the 2025/26 financial year.

The total increased 4.4% from the previous year, with remote casino, betting and bingo growing considerably faster than the combined land-based sector.

The Gambling Commission’s annual industry statistics, published Sept. 17, cover activity from April 2025 through March 2026. Excluding all reported lotteries, industry gross gambling yield reached £13.2 billion, an increase of 4.7%.

Remote Gambling Yield Rises 6.9%

Remote casino, betting and bingo generated £8.3 billion in GGY, up 6.9% from the previous financial year. Online casino games dominated the sector with £5.7 billion, including £4.8 billion generated by slots.

Remote betting contributed another £2.4 billion. Football accounted for approximately £1.2 billion of that total, while horse racing generated £769.3 million. Remote bingo produced £147.8 million.

Despite the revenue growth, new account registrations at remote casino, betting and bingo operators fell 3% to 32.4 million. The Commission reported 25.7 million active accounts at the end of the final reporting quarter, while customer funds held by operators stood at £886.6 million, down 13.9% from the corresponding period a year earlier.

Betting Shop Numbers Continue to Decline

Land-based arcades, betting, bingo and casinos generated a combined £4.9 billion, representing growth of 1.1%. Performance varied significantly between individual retail sectors.

Non-remote betting GGY declined 3.3% to £2.4 billion, while the number of betting shops fell for a 12th consecutive reporting period. Great Britain had 5,617 betting shops at the end of March, down 208 locations, or 3.6%, from the previous year.

The continued contraction comes as major operators reassess their retail estates. Earlier this year, William Hill owner Evoke moved to close around 200 UK betting shops amid pressure on the economics of its retail network.

Land-based casino GGY was comparatively stable, increasing 0.4% to £933.9 million. Bingo revenue rose 8.2% to £703.8 million, while arcade GGY climbed 10.7% to £800.1 million.

Latest Quarter Generates £4.4 Billion

The Commission separately reported £4.4 billion in total GGY for January through March 2026, including lotteries. Remote casino, betting and bingo accounted for £2.2 billion during the quarter, while land-based gambling sectors generated £1.2 billion.

The regulator also released new Gambling Survey for Great Britain data alongside the industry figures. The survey found that 49% of adults reported participating in some form of gambling during the previous four weeks, falling to 28% when people who only participated in lottery draws were excluded.

Gambling Commission Research and Policy Director Ben Haden cautioned that changes in market data can reflect multiple factors and should not be interpreted through a single measure. The Commission plans to publish its next full annual industry statistics in autumn 2027, covering April 2026 through March 2027.

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