Online casino GGY climbed 14.8%, offsetting a decline in remote betting and bingo
Gross gambling yield (GGY) in the UK increased to £17.5bn during the 12 months to March 2026, with growth in the online casino market helping offset a decline in remote betting revenue.
Total GGY for the UK market was up 4.4% from the previous reporting period, according to the Gambling Commission. The data covered regulated online and land-based gambling, including lotteries.
Remote casino, betting and bingo (RCBB) generated the most GGY at £8.3bn, an increase of 6.9%. Land-based GGY was also higher year-on-year, though the rise to £4.9bn was more modest at 1.1%, while lotteries GGY edged up to £4.3bn.
While there was no immediate sign of a slowdown in overall remote gambling growth, data did reveal a 6.6% drop in remote betting GGY to £2.45bn. However, this was more than offset by a 14.8% jump in online casino GGY to £5.7bn, helped by a 15% rise in slots GGY to £4.8bn. Remote bingo GGY also declined 13.8% to £147.8m.
Online growth was evident despite a decline in new remote gambling accounts. Some 32.4 million registrations were recorded during the year, down 3%, with 25.7 million active accounts recorded at the end of the final quarter.
Customer deposits also fell during the period, with funds held in remote gambling accounts dropping 13.9% year-on-year.
Mixed picture for land-based gambling
Turning to the land-based sector, and while overall GGY was up, performance across market sectors was more mixed.
Arcades were among the strongest performers, with GGY rising 10.7% to £800.1m. Adult gaming centres accounted for £761.4m of this total, up 11.3%, while bingo GGY also rose 8.2% to £703.8m.
Casinos, by contrast, recorded only marginal growth, with GGY up 0.4% to £934m. Betting remained the largest land-based segment at £2.42bn, but GGY fell 3.3%.
The decline in betting was also reflected in the size of the retail estate. The total number of licensed betting shops fell 3.6% to 5,617, marking the 12th consecutive reporting period in which shop numbers have declined.
Lotteries still a major contributor
Elsewhere and there was also growth in the lottery segment. This was helped by a 0.9% rise in National Lottery sales to £7.9bn, while GGY from large society lotteries rose 5.7% to £1.2bn.
The National Lottery also generated £1.7bn for good causes during the period, an increase of 2.8% year-on-year.
Across the wider regulated market, the number of licensed gambling operators fell 1.1% year-on-year to 2,154, while the number of licensed activities increased 0.4% to 3,097.
“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,” said Ben Haden, director of research and policy at the Gambling Commission.