Great Britain’s licensed gambling industry generated £17.5 billion in gross gambling yield during the financial year from April 2025 through March 2026, representing a 4.4% increase from the previous 12-month period.
When lotteries are excluded, GGY reached £13.2 billion, up 4.7% year on year. Remote casino, betting and bingo remained the largest part of the licensed market, producing £8.3 billion in GGY after a 6.9% annual rise. Land-based gambling generated £4.9 billion, increasing by a more modest 1.1%.
The latest figures cover gambling activity reported by licensed operators serving customers in Great Britain. They accompany updated quarterly figures for January through March 2026 and another release of data from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain.
Online casino activity accounted for a significant share of the market’s annual increase. Casino GGY from remote operators rose 14.8% to £5.7 billion, while online slots produced approximately £4.8 billion after increasing by around 15%.
Other parts of the remote market moved in the opposite direction. Remote betting GGY dropped 6.6% to £2.45 billion, while remote bingo fell 13.8% to approximately £148 million.
Online Casino Growth Supports Higher Remote GGY
The increase in online casino revenue came during a year in which the number of new remote gambling registrations declined. Operators recorded 32.4 million registrations, representing a 3% fall, while 25.7 million active accounts were recorded at the end of the final quarter.
Funds held in remote gambling accounts also dropped 13.9% compared with the previous year.
Within online betting, football remained the largest category and generated £1.17 billion in GGY. Horseracing followed at £769 million. Although remote betting revenue declined, underlying online betting turnover increased by about 4.5%, indicating that the fall in GGY did not correspond directly with the overall volume of betting activity.
Online casino growth made a particularly large contribution to the wider annual increase. Casino GGY added about £735.8 million year on year, exceeding the approximately £728.1 million net rise recorded across gambling as a whole.
Ben Haden, Director of Research and Policy, said:
“The market shifts that we see in industry data trends, and this year is no different, are complex and will be down to a mix of factors that need more than one source to unpick.
“I welcome our capacity to publish industry data alongside the Gambling Survey for Great Britain to encourage and assist in the consideration of key questions from these different perspectives.”
Retail Betting Estate Continues to Contract
Land-based gambling finished the year with higher overall GGY, although individual segments recorded different results.
Arcades generated £800.1 million, an increase of 10.7%. Adult gaming centres contributed £761.4 million of that total after their GGY rose 11.3%. Land-based bingo also recorded growth, increasing 8.2% to £703.8 million.
Casino GGY reached £934 million, representing a 0.4% increase. Retail betting remained the largest land-based segment with GGY of £2.42 billion, although that figure fell 3.3% year on year.
The number of betting shops continued to decline alongside the reduction in retail betting revenue. Great Britain had 5,617 licensed betting shops at the end of the reporting period, down 3.6%. This marked the 12th consecutive reporting period in which the number of betting shops decreased.
Across all categories, the number of licensed gambling premises stood at 8,081, representing a 2% annual reduction. Gaming machines operating within land-based sectors generated approximately £2.7 billion, up 4.3%, with those revenues included within the totals for their respective sectors.
The regulator recorded 2,154 licensed gambling operators as of March 31, 2026, down 1.1% from a year earlier. Those businesses held licences covering 3,097 gambling activities, an increase of 0.4%.
Lottery and Participation Data Add Wider Market Context
Lotteries continued to account for a substantial portion of the overall market. National Lottery sales rose 0.9% to £7.9 billion, while large society lotteries generated £1.2 billion in GGY, up 5.7%. The National Lottery provided £1.7 billion for good causes during the year, a 2.8% annual increase.
The accompanying Gambling Survey for Great Britain data showed that 49% of adults had participated in gambling during the previous four weeks. Removing respondents who only took part in lottery draws reduced the participation rate to 28%.
Men reported a participation rate of 53%, compared with 44% among women. Adults aged between 45 and 64 recorded the highest overall rates, ranging from 56% to 59%. Once lottery-only participation was removed, adults aged 35 to 44 had the highest participation level at 35%.
Scratchcards recorded participation of 13% after lottery draws, while betting stood at 10% and online instant-win games at 8%. Betting participation reached 16% among men and 4% among women.
Online gambling participation was 39%, falling to 16% when lottery-only activity was removed. In-person gambling stood at 29%, or 18% excluding people who only played lottery draws. The survey allows respondents to participate through both channels, so the online and in-person figures cannot be combined.
The latest releases continue the regulator’s expanded collection of industry and participation data. Reporting changes introduced in July 2024 aligned regulatory return periods across operators, while the annual industry dataset also includes historical figures extending back to the financial year ending March 2009.