Online Sectors and Remote Casinos Drive Revenue Growth While New Survey Data Highlights Demographic Participation Trends Across Great Britain
According to the latest figures released by the Gambling Commission, Britain’s gambling industry generated a gross gambling yield (GGY) of £4.5 billion during the fourth quarter of 2025. This marks a 2.27% increase compared to the same period in 2024, where total GGY stood at £4.4 billion. Excluding lotteries, total GGY for the quarter reached £3.3 billion.
Online gambling continued to dominate the market landscape. Remote casino, betting, and bingo generated a combined £2.12 billion in GGY over the three-month period. Remote casino products alone accounted for £1.49 billion, representing roughly 70% of the segment’s total revenue, with total turnover across remote channels hitting £39.18 billion. Meanwhile, remote betting contributed £599.05 million in GGY, and remote bingo added £38.66 million.
Across physical retail, land-based sectors, including arcades, betting shops, bingo halls, and land-based casinos, generated approximately £1.2 billion during the quarter. Non-remote betting alone accounted for £613 million, representing 48.2% of total non-remote gambling revenue. Operational metrics showed a total of 8,148 licensed gambling premises active across Great Britain during the quarter, encompassing 5,669 betting shops and 191,325 gaming machines.
Demographic Participation Findings from the Gambling Survey
The financial data was published alongside findings from the latest Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), conducted between September 22, 2025, and January 18, 2026. The survey revealed that 47% of respondents had participated in some form of gambling over the preceding four weeks, a figure that drops to 26% when excluding lottery-only participants.
Participation rates varied significantly across age groups and demographics:
- Age Breakdown: Individuals aged 55 to 64 recorded the highest overall participation at 56%, closely followed by those aged 45 to 54 (54%) and 35 to 44 (51%). By comparison, participation among 18-to-24-year-olds stood at 31%, though younger demographics showed a higher tendency to engage with non-lottery products.
- Gender Differences: Men reported higher overall participation than women at 49% and 44%, respectively. Online gambling participation stood at 41% for men and 34% for women, while sports betting showed a wider margin, with 13% of men participating compared to 4% of women.
- Lottery Dominance: National Lottery draw tickets remained the most popular form of wagering, purchased by 31% of respondents in the past four weeks (rising to 36% when including charity lotteries). National Lottery ticket sales generated £2.02 billion during the quarter, yielding £415.11 million for good causes, while large society lotteries contributed an additional £126.2 million.
Gambling Commission Announces AI-Powered Advertising Enforcement
Alongside the market data, the Gambling Commission outlined plans to roll out an advanced AI-powered marketing sweep designed to scan and identify gambling advertisements that violate regulations or target under-18 audiences.
The regulator issued a clear warning to operators regarding compliance:
“If we identify ads that break the rules, we will require you to amend or remove the ad immediately and, if you fail to comply, we will impose sanctions, which may include referral to the platform hosting the ad and/or the Gambling Commission.”
