UK Gambling Market Sees Mixed Results in Latest Quarter: Online Gains and Retail Declines

Online Gambling Achieves New Heights

In the fourth quarter of the 2023-2024 financial year, the online gambling sector witnessed a 5% increase in Gross Gambling Yield (GGY), totaling £1.4 billion ($1.75 billion).

This growth is supported by a 10% rise in the total number of bets and spins, reaching a new peak of 24 billion. Consequently, the average monthly active accounts in the online segment saw a moderate increase of 2%.

Online Slots and Betting Trends

The surge in online GGY was predominantly driven by online slots, which reported an 11% increase in GGY to £614 million.

The number of spins associated with online slots rose by 12%, while the average monthly active slots accounts increased by 7% to 4.2 million per month. In contrast, real event betting GGY grew marginally by 2% to £565 million, even as the number of bets declined by 6%.

Challenges in the Retail Sector

The retail betting market didn’t fare as well, with licensed betting operators (LBOs) seeing a 3% decline in GGY to £568 million.

The total number of bets and spins in this sector also decreased slightly by 1% to 3.3 billion. This downturn reflects broader challenges facing high street betting operations.

Broader Gambling Participation

Findings from the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSCB) indicate that 48% of respondents had gambled in the last four weeks at the time of the survey.

Notably, the most active gambling demographic was men aged 45-54, highlighting a specific consumer segment that remains particularly engaged with gambling activities.