UKGC reveals a 7% rise in UK online casinos' gambling revenue

The UK Gambling Commission’s final Market Insights report revealed a 7% increase in online GGY as digital gambling activity continued to grow.

Online gambling operators in Great Britain recorded a 7% year-on-year rise in gross gambling yield (GGY) in the three months ending March 2026.

The report also marks the final edition of the regulator’s long-running quarterly “Market Insights” publication.

Market insights

The UK Gambling Commission first introduced the dataset in April 2020 in an attempt to monitor gambling trends and player behaviour during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although the reports continued beyond the pandemic period, the regulator said the data now overlaps with information already published through its quarterly industry statistics releases.

The senior manager for market and regulatory insight, Rab Grewal, confirmed that the regulator plans to expand the “Regular Feed of Operator Core Data” (ROCOD) initiative, which will gather information on gambling behaviour from operators directly in real time.

Grewal also stated that the project will be key in how data and analytics are used to strengthen UK gambling regulations.

Online gambling revenue surpasses billions

According to the latest figures from the largest UK online casinos, which focused on around 70% of the country’s online gambling market, the combined GGY for the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year reached more than £1.55 billion.

This reflects a 7% increase compared to the same period from the previous financial year.

UKGC report online gambling revenue rise — Online gambling revenue in the UK has increased by 7%.

Total bets and slot spins also climbed by 7%, reaching £26.8 billion in transactions during the quarter. However, average monthly active accounts dropped by 1% to 13.4 million.

Online slots continued to dominate the market, generating £772.9 million in GGY. This showed a 12% year-on-year increase. The number of slot spins climbed 7% to 25.1 billion, although player activity per session dropped.

They saw a decline in average spins per session, which went from 136 to 124. The average GGY per session also dropped from £4.01 to £3.82.

Real-event betting generated £600 million in GGY, a 1% marginal growth. Despite the revenue increase, betting volumes were down 8%, while the monthly active accounts declined by 5%.

Here’s a look at the other online gambling segments which contributed to the overall total:

Online casinos - £153.9 million
Poker - £10.4 million
Virtual betting - £9.2 million
Esports betting - £3.9 million
Other gambling activities - £1.2 million

Land-based betting sector faces decline

Online gambling continued to grow, but the retail market experienced a downturn during the same reporting period.

Offline betting GGY declined by 5% year-on-year to £527 million in Q4, while the total number of bets and machine spins decreased by 1% to £3.1 billion.

Land-based gaming machines remained the largest contributor, with GGY edging slightly higher to £276 million. The average player spend per session increased by £0.29 to £12.48, and the average number of spins per session climbed to 132.

Over-the-counter betting revenue declined sharply by 18% to £125 million. While betting volumes also dropped 3% to 125 million bets. Self-service betting terminals also recorded growth, with GGY increasing by 0.6% to £126 million following a slight rise in the number of bets placed.

The picture is clear: players are spending more online and less in-person. Whether the UKGC's updated data approach will give regulators a clearer view of where that shift creates risk is the question worth watching next.

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By Deni

Verified Casino Expert

Expertise: Casino Content Writing, Journalism & (PR), Gambling Regulations, Dutch & German Gambling Markets

Hi, I'm Deni! I'm a research obsessive with a passion for gambling regulations, market trends, and casino news. I dig deep into every topic I cover - so every article, review, or guide I write is built on solid research and real detail.

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Last updated: June 1, 2026

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UKGC reveals a 7% rise in UK online casinos' gambling revenue

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