UK Gambling Market Sees Growth in Online, Particularly Slots

#BettingLegislation  #GambleLike_UK 

The UK Gambling Commission has released its latest data on the gambling industry in Great Britain, providing insights into the market's performance between March 2020 and September 2024.

Key Findings:

• Online Gambling Growth:
   
  • Gross Gambling Yield (GGY): Online GGY in Q2 2024/25 increased by 11% compared to the previous year, reaching £1.32 billion.
  • Bets and Spins: The total number of bets and spins surged by 12% to 25.2 billion, setting a new quarterly record.
  • Active Accounts: The average number of monthly active accounts rose by 8% to 4.4 million.
  • Slots Dominance: Slots GGY soared by 16% to £680 million, driven by a 13% increase in spins. The average number of monthly active slots accounts increased by 16% to 4.4 million.
  • Longer Sessions: The number of online slots sessions lasting over an hour increased by 9% to 10 million, although the average session length remained at 17 minutes.
• Real Event Betting:
   
  • GGY: Real event betting GGY increased by 6% to £453 million.
  • Bets: The number of bets decreased by 10%, while the average number of monthly active accounts rose by 9%.
• LBOs:
   
  • GGY: LBO GGY declined slightly by 1% to £533 million.
  • Bets and Spins: The total number of bets and spins decreased by 0.1% to 3.1 billion.
  • Slot sessions: On average, players spent 17 minutes per session. While 6.1% of sessions lasted over an hour, this is slightly down from 6.6% in the previous year's Q2.The number of slot’s spins per session decreased from 147 to 142 year-over-year, and the average GGY per session dropped from £4.20 to £4.13.

Regulatory Implications

The UKGC will continue to monitor these trends and work with operators to ensure consumer protection and responsible gambling practices. The data highlights the evolving nature of the online gambling market, with slots emerging as a significant driver of growth.

It is important to note that this data should not be directly compared to the industry statistics dataset, as the latter may include free bets, bonuses, and data from not all operators.