Data
UK gambling statistics 2026
Last updated:
Short answer: Great Britain's gambling industry made £17.5 billion in gross gambling yield from April 2025 to March 2026, 47% of adults gambled in a four-week period, and 2.4% of adults scored 8 or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index. Every number below links to its source and the year it was published. The Gambling Commission regulates Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own rules.
Key statistics
- Great Britain's gambling industry generated £17.5 billion in gross gambling yield from April 2025 to March 2026, up 4.4%. (Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026, 2026)
- Online slots alone generated £4.8 billion. (Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026, 2026)
- 47% of adults had gambled in the past 4 weeks. (Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025, 2026)
- 2.4% of all adults surveyed had a Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) score of 8 or more. (Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025, 2026)
- Remote Gaming Duty, the tax on operators' online gaming profits, rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026. (HM Treasury and HMRC, Gambling duty changes, 2025)
- 2,154 operators held a Gambling Commission licence on 31 March 2026, down 1.1%. (Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026, 2026)
How big is the UK gambling industry?
| Statistic | Number | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain's gambling industry generated £17.5 billion in gross gambling yield from April 2025 to March 2026, up 4.4%. | £17.5bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Excluding lotteries, gross gambling yield was £13.2 billion, up 4.7%. | £13.2bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Online casino, betting and bingo generated £8.3 billion in gross gambling yield, up 6.9%. | £8.3bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Land-based casino, betting, bingo and arcades generated £4.9 billion, up 1.1%. | £4.9bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Gaming machines generated £2.7 billion in gross gambling yield, up 4.3%. | £2.7bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| 2,154 operators held a Gambling Commission licence on 31 March 2026, down 1.1%. | 2,154 | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Those operators held 3,097 licensed activities, up 0.4%. | 3,097 | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Great Britain had 8,081 licensed gambling premises, down 2.0%. | 8,081 | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| There were 5,617 betting shops, 208 fewer than a year earlier (down 3.6%). | 5,617 | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
How much do people spend gambling online?
| Statistic | Number | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| Online casino games generated £5.7 billion in gross gambling yield. | £5.7bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Online slots alone generated £4.8 billion. | £4.8bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Online betting generated £2.4 billion in gross gambling yield. | £2.4bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Online football betting generated £1.2 billion. | £1.2bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Online horse racing betting generated £769.3 million. | £769.3m | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Online bingo generated £147.8 million. | £147.8m | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Players opened 32.4 million new online gambling accounts, down 3.0%. | 32.4m | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| There were 25.7 million active online gambling accounts. | 25.7m | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Operators held £886.6 million of customer funds, down 13.9%. | £886.6m | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
How are betting shops, casinos and bingo halls doing?
| Statistic | Number | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| Land-based betting generated £2.4 billion in gross gambling yield, down 3.3%. | £2.4bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Land-based casinos generated £933.9 million, up 0.4%. | £933.9m | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Land-based bingo generated £703.8 million, up 8.2%. | £703.8m | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Arcades generated £800.1 million, up 10.7%. | £800.1m | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
How much is spent on lotteries?
| Statistic | Number | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| National Lottery sales were £7.9 billion, up 0.9%. | £7.9bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| The National Lottery paid out £4.5 billion in prizes. | £4.5bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Large society lottery sales were £1.2 billion, up 5.7%. | £1.2bn | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
| Large society lotteries raised £498.5 million for good causes, up 2.8%. | £498.5m | Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026) |
What percentage of people gamble in the UK?
| Statistic | Number | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| The Gambling Survey for Great Britain 2025 collected answers from 20,775 adults aged 18 and over between January 2025 and January 2026. | 20,775 | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| 47% of adults had gambled in the past 4 weeks. | 47% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| Leaving out people who only bought lottery draw tickets, 27% of adults had gambled in the past 4 weeks. | 27% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| 38% of adults had gambled online in the past 4 weeks and 28% in person. | 38% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| Leaving out lottery-draw-only players, 16% of adults gambled online and 17% in person. | 16% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| Adults aged 18 to 24 took part in 3.6 gambling activities on average in the past 4 weeks, against 1.7 for those aged 75 and over. | 3.6 | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| The chance of winning big money was the most common reason to gamble (84%), then fun (69%), making money (57%) and excitement (53%). | 84% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| Of adults who gambled in the past 12 months, 42% rated their last session positively, 36% neutrally and 22% negatively. | 42% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
How many people have a gambling problem in the UK?
| Statistic | Number | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4% of all adults surveyed had a Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) score of 8 or more. | 2.4% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| 3.5% of adults had a PGSI score of 3 to 7, and 7.8% a score of 1 to 2. | 3.5% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| 2.7% of adults who gambled in the past 12 months had experienced at least one severe consequence. | 2.7% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| A relationship breakdown caused by their own gambling was the most reported severe consequence, at 1.7% of past-year gamblers. | 1.7% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| Cutting spending on everyday items (6.4%) and lying to family (5.9%) were the most common potential harms. | 6.4% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| 3.4% of adults who gambled in the past 12 months had sought support for their own gambling. | 3.4% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
| 43.2% of adults said someone close to them gambled, and 3.3% of those had sought support because of it. | 43.2% | Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026) |
How is gambling taxed in the UK?
| Statistic | Number | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| Remote Gaming Duty, the tax on operators' online gaming profits, rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026. | 40% | HM Treasury and HMRC, Gambling duty changes (2025) |
| A new 25% remote betting rate of General Betting Duty starts on 1 April 2027. | 25% | HM Treasury and HMRC, Gambling duty changes (2025) |
| Remote bets on UK horseracing stay at the 15% rate. | 15% | HM Treasury and HMRC, Gambling duty changes (2025) |
| Bingo Duty was abolished on 1 April 2026. | 1 April 2026 | HM Treasury and HMRC, Gambling duty changes (2025) |
| The government says the duty changes will raise more than £1 billion a year. | £1bn | HM Treasury and HMRC, Gambling duty changes (2025) |
Can you get in trouble for gambling?
| Statistic | Number | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| Cheating at gambling is a criminal offence under section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, used in the 2026 General Election betting prosecutions. | 42 | Gambling Commission news, 10 September 2026 (2026) |
How we collected these numbers
We took every number from a primary source: the Gambling Commission's official statistics and news releases, and the government's own page on the gambling duty changes. We checked each row against its source on 2 November 2026. Industry figures cover the financial year April 2025 to March 2026; survey figures come from 20,775 adults questioned between January 2025 and January 2026. Survey results are estimates with a margin of error. We review the page every quarter and only change the date when a number changes.
Sources
- Gambling Commission, Industry Statistics April 2025 to March 2026 (2026)
- Gambling Commission, Gambling Survey for Great Britain annual report 2025 (2026)
- HM Treasury and HMRC, Gambling duty changes (2025)
- Gambling Commission news, 10 September 2026 (2026)
Related pages
See UK online casinos ranked by our Trust Index, the casino FAQ and our responsible gambling tools. If gambling stops being fun, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 in England and Scotland or 0808 2819 265 in Wales, 24 hours a day. 18+ only.