In the second quarter, UK gross gambling revenue (GGY) increased 12% year-on-year to £1.46 billion (€1.73 billion/$1.87 billion), with the total number of bets and spins hitting a record high for the second consecutive quarter .
In the second quarter (April to June), UK players placed 24.5 billion bets and spins, up 11% on last year and a quarterly high since the UK Gambling Commission began publishing player data in 2019.
According to a breakdown of the UK Gambling Commission’s data, online slots were the main source of gambling revenue in the UK, reaching £642 million, up 10% from last year. May was the busiest month for online slot games, with gambling revenue reaching £217.9 million.
Consumers spun a total of 22.4 billion times during the quarter, up 12% from last year. However, slot machine play time was slightly shorter at 17 minutes, compared to just under 18 minutes last year.
As for the number of online slot players, the total number of active players reached 13.3 million in the quarter, a year-on-year increase of 10.8%.
Euro 2024 to drive growth in live events betting revenue
Turning to live event betting, Gross Gaming Yield (GGY) in this area has grown more than any other area, reaching 625 million pounds in the second quarter, a year-on-year increase of 16%. The commission said major sporting events, including the 2024 European Football Championship, had driven the growth.
This is evidenced by monthly activity, with June – the month Euro 2024 kicks off in Germany – recording the highest total betting revenue at £228.9m.
However, online betting fell 7.4% year-on-year to 921 million bets in the second quarter. The highest volume was recorded in April, when a total of 340.4 million bets were placed.
The number of active players participating in live event betting reached 19.4 million, an increase of 10.9% over last year.
Online Casinos Continue to Grow
As for other market segments, online casino table games (excluding slots) saw gaming revenue increase by 9.3% to £159.6 million in the second quarter. At the same time, total bets were up 9.6% to 1.02 billion, and the number of active players increased by 6.7% to 8 million.
Poker revenue fell 14.0% to £14.1m, while virtual gaming revenue also fell 2.9% to £10.2m.
However, esports betting revenue increased by 30.5% to £4.3m in the quarter, while online betting revenue in the unlisted sector increased by 5.3% to £2m.
Retail gambling industry takes hit
Turning to offline gambling, which covers approximately 85% of the UK retail gambling market, revenue from over-the-counter betting fell 7.0% to £168.4 million in the second quarter, but revenue from self-service betting terminals rose 7.3% to £123.9 million. The Commission also noted that revenue from machine-based betting fell slightly in the second quarter to £290.1 million.
Looking at activity, total bets and spins in the retail gaming industry fell 1% to 3.2 billion. In addition, total machine play fell 1.3% to 23.7 million in the second quarter.
