The UK Playing Fee (UKGC) has launched its newest dataset masking operator exercise between March 2020 and June 2025, with a specific concentrate on the primary quarter of the 2025–26 monetary 12 months. The figures reveal contrasting developments throughout playing verticals, with robust features in on-line slots offsetting declines in sports activities betting and poker.
On-line Sector Sees Blended Outcomes
From April to June 2025, on-line gross playing yield (GGY) rose 2% year-on-year to £1.49 billion. This development got here alongside a 6% rise in whole bets and spins, which reached a file 26.1 billion. Nonetheless, the common variety of month-to-month lively accounts dropped by 10% in comparison with the identical quarter final 12 months, all the way down to 12.7 million.
On-line slots had been the standout performer, reaching a 14% year-on-year GGY improve to £745 million and hitting a brand new peak of 24.4 billion spins in the course of the quarter. Month-to-month lively accounts on this vertical held regular at 4.4 million. Common spins per session fell from 139 to 129, whereas GGY per session edged down from £4.01 to £3.95. The variety of classes lasting over an hour declined 9% to eight.8 million, with solely 5% of all classes exceeding the one-hour mark in comparison with 6% within the earlier 12 months. Common session size shortened by one minute to 16 minutes.
Actual occasion betting didn’t observe the identical trajectory. GGY for this class fell 9% to £570 million, with whole bets down 7% and lively month-to-month accounts dropping 16%. The absence of a serious worldwide soccer occasion—equivalent to Euro 2024, which passed off in the identical interval final 12 months—doubtless contributed to this decline.
Poker additionally skilled a downturn, with GGY falling 19.9% to £11.3 million and whole bets slipping from 170.9 million to 143.9 million.
Influence of New Stake Limits
The quarter was notable for the introduction of new stake limits for on-line slots, a transfer aimed toward strengthening participant safety measures. From 9 April 2025, the utmost stake was capped at £5 for all adults, adopted by a decrease £2 restrict for gamers aged 18 to 24 launched on 21 Could 2025. Regardless of these restrictions, slots efficiency improved, suggesting gamers could have compensated by rising the variety of spins positioned.
Land-Primarily based Betting Efficiency
Retail betting premises generated £552 million in GGY for the quarter, a 5% lower in comparison with Q1 final 12 months. The entire variety of bets and spins fell 3% to three.2 billion.
Over-the-counter bets grew by 1% to 145 million, although the related GGY dropped 12% to £148 million. Self-service betting terminals (SSBTs) recorded a 9% lower in bets to 33.4 million, whereas GGY slipped 1% to £122 million.
Gaming machines in betting retailers introduced in £281 million in GGY, a 3% decline from the earlier 12 months. The common spend per session fell barely to £12.19, with spins per session reducing by one to 129. Classes lasting over an hour accounted for two.6% of the whole, up barely from 2.4% in the identical interval final 12 months.
Adjustments in Knowledge Assortment and Survey Insights
The Playing Fee famous that some operators up to date their strategies for calculating session size in the course of the quarter, which influenced the reported variety of classes and their durations.
Alongside the monetary information, the UKGC additionally addressed latest evaluation of the Playing Survey for Nice Britain (GSGB). Analysis led by Professor Patrick Sturgis of the London College of Economics steered that adjustments in methodology—from phone interviews to on-line self-reporting—could have influenced the recorded price of drawback playing. The Fee confirmed it should assessment its steering to mirror these methodological variations.
Supply:
Market impression information on playing behaviour – operator information to June 2025, Playing Fee, gamblingcommission.gov.uk, August 14, 2025.
