UK Gambling Commission Reports Increased Online Gambling Revenue and Changing Player Behavior

The UK Gambling Commission has released its latest market data for online and in-person gambling activities in Britain, covering the period from March 2020 through September 2024. This update compares data from Quarter 2 (July to September) of fiscal year 2024-2025 with the same period the previous year, revealing an increase in gross gambling yield (GGY), particularly in the online slots sector, which reached record levels.

The Gambling Commission’s data shows that total online GGY rose by 11% year-over-year to £1.32 billion for the quarter ending in September 2024. The main driver of this growth was the online slots sector, which reported a 16% increase in GGY, reaching £680 million. Additionally, the number of spins hit an all-time high of 23.3 billion, reflecting a 13% rise over the previous year. Average monthly active accounts also grew by 16% to 4.4 million. Despite this growth, the average GGY per session saw a slight decline from £4.20 to £4.13, with the average spins per session also falling from 147 to 142.

Online real event betting also experienced a boost, with GGY increasing by 6% year-over-year to £453 million. However, while the number of bets decreased by 10%, the average monthly active accounts rose by 9%, indicating higher engagement from a smaller betting pool.

The data highlights shifts in player behavior, particularly in session duration and engagement levels. The number of online slots sessions lasting over an hour increased by 9% year-over-year, totaling 10 million. This number represents about 6.1% of all slot sessions, a slight decrease from the 6.6% recorded in the previous year. Overall session counts saw a notable increase of 18% to 164.7 million, marking the highest recorded in this dataset. Average session length held steady at 17 minutes.

Customer interactions for safer gambling, primarily automated, rose by 1% to 3 million. However, direct interactions from operators decreased by 1%, indicating a shift towards more automated responses in responsible gambling efforts.

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For land-based Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs), Quarter 2 GGY saw a slight decrease of 1% to £533 million compared to the previous year. The number of total bets and spins in LBOs also declined marginally by 0.1% to 3.1 billion.

Within LBOs, Over-the-Counter (OTC) betting faced a more noticeable decline, with bets decreasing by 6% year-over-year to 134 million, and GGY falling by 8% to £152 million. In contrast, Self-Service Betting Terminals (SSBTs) saw a 9% rise in bets to 34 million and an 8% increase in GGY, reaching £101 million.

Machine gaming in physical venues experienced stability, with a minor GGY increase of 0.2% to £281 million. The average spend per session on gaming machines rose by 2% to £12.35, while the average spins per session also grew slightly, reaching 130 spins.

The Gambling Commission advises caution when comparing this dataset with industry statistics, noting that it includes free bets and bonuses, and does not cover all operators, which may affect the overall figures.

Source:

“Market Overview: Operator Data to September 2024“, gamblingcommission.gov.uk, October 2024.