The UK gambling industry produced a gross gambling yield (GGY) of £4.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the latest data from the Gambling Commission. This period, covering October to December 2025, represents the Commission's third quarterly report for the year.
The Gambling Commission and the National Centre for Social Research also released Wave 4 of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, which examines gambling activity from September 2025 to January 2026.
In terms of GGY, the total across all lotteries was £4.5 billion, while GGY excluding lotteries reached £3.3 billion. Remote casino, betting, and bingo (RCBB) activities accounted for £2.12 billion in GGY. Notably, remote casino games alone garnered £1.49 billion, making up 70% of the RCBB total.
Land-based gambling activities, including arcades, betting shops, bingo, and casinos, generated £1.2 billion in GGY. Among non-remote options, betting activities brought in £613 million, representing 48.2% of total non-remote GGY. There were 8,148 licensed gambling premises, encompassing 5,669 betting shops, and 191,325 gaming machines were operational in these locations.
The National Lottery contributed £415 million to charitable causes, while larger society lotteries added another £126 million.
The GSGB survey, conducted between September 22, 2025, and January 18, 2026, involved 22,302 addresses, yielding 5,203 usable responses. Results showed that 47% of respondents participated in gambling within the last four weeks. This participation rate dropped to 26% when excluding lottery-only players. Online gambling was reported by 37% of those surveyed, but fell to 15% when limited to those not solely engaged in lottery products. In-person gambling activities were reported by 27% of respondents, which decreased to 17% when excluding lottery participants.
Gambling participation was most pronounced among middle-aged adults, with 51% of individuals aged 35-44 engaging in such activities in the past four weeks. This percentage increased to 54% for those aged 45-54 and peaked at 56% among individuals aged 55-64. However, when excluding lottery-only players, participation rates in older age brackets significantly fell, with only 25% of the 55-64 age group reporting activity.
Younger adults aged 18-24 revealed a lower overall gambling participation rate of 31%, but were more inclined towards non-lottery gambling products, often indicating enjoyment and excitement as driving factors. Men generally exhibited higher gambling rates than women across categories, with 49% of men participating in any form of gambling compared to 44% of women. Online gambling activity was higher among men as well, with 41% versus 34% for women, and the betting participation gap was largest, with 13% of men reporting betting involvement compared to just 4% of women.
The latest quarterly data from the Gambling Commission highlights ongoing trends and twelve-month totals, emphasizing the continued prominence of remote gambling throughout 2025. Total RCBB GGY for the entire year reached £5.55 billion, largely driven by remote casino contributions, which accounted for £1.49 billion in the final quarter.
In Q4, remote casino, betting, and bingo activities reported a turnover of £39.18 billion and resulted in a GGY of £2.12 billion. Remote betting's contribution was £599.05 million, while remote bingo generated £38.66 million.
This aligns with the GSGB survey findings, indicating that online gambling surpassed in-person gambling in prevalence, with 37% engaging online compared to 27% in-person. Live football betting emerged as the most favored live betting format, attracting 5% of the respondents overall and 9% of men. Live horse racing betting followed with 3% overall and 5% among men.
Conversely, the land-based gambling sectors demonstrated stability but continued to trail remote formats in GGY. The total GGY from adult gaming centres, family entertainment centres, betting shops, bingo halls, and casinos reached around £1.2 billion during this quarter. Betting shops remained the dominant land-based venue, with 5,669 locations generating approximately £300.9 million in GGY from machines.
The breakdown of land-based gambling facilities shows that adult gaming centres comprised 1,458 locations and 80,181 machines, yielding £193 million in GGY. Family entertainment centres operated 165 sites with about 10,069 machines, generating £6.05 million in GGY, although this number is subject to fluctuation. Betting shops constituted the largest category, producing £613.24 million from 22,291 machines at their 5,669 locations. Bingo venues numbered 718 and accounted for 74,439 machines, yielding £173.06 million in GGY. The non-remote casino sector consisted of 138 venues and 4,345 machines, generating £238.86 million in GGY.
Lottery ticket sales also play a significant role in the sector’s income, with £295.75 million collected in the quarter. Large society lotteries contributed £126.2 million to charitable causes, while the National Lottery reported ticket sales of £2.02 billion and contributed £415.11 million for the same period.
Additionally, the Gambling Commission announced plans for an AI-driven marketing sweep to monitor advertisements, particularly those targeted at minors. The Commission warned operators of repercussions for non-compliance, including potential sanctions for breaching advertisement regulations, which have drawn criticism from MPs who regard gambling advertisements as a public health concern, following a report from an All-Party Parliamentary Group.
