The Department of Trust (DoT) in the UK has collected raw banking data from over 300,000 consumers, revealing that gambling accounts for 10.69% of British consumers' monthly leisure spending. This report explores the spending habits of gamblers and the proportion of gambling in their overall leisure budget.
Industry data often indicates that the gambling spending habits of British players are increasing, but detailed banking transaction data from 304,022 UK consumers shows that gamblers are spending more on entertainment media subscriptions and food delivery.
The data focuses on consumers who have made at least one payment to a licensed gambling operator in the UK (excluding the national lottery) from April 1, 2023, to April 1, 2024. During this period, these consumers deposited a net amount of £150.8 million to gambling operators.
In the data provided by DoT, individuals who deposited more than £150 are identified as high-value gamblers. Since player account balances are not public, the gambling expenditures referred to in this report specifically mean net deposits per month. Unless withdrawals are received, deposits are considered equivalent to expenditures.
Where do gamblers spend their leisure budget?
Gambling accounts for 10.69% of the average monthly leisure spending of gamblers, with a typical gambler spending £390 per month on leisure activities.
The following table lists the spending on consumers' leisure budgets during the reporting period:
Charles Cohen, CEO and founder of DoT, states that the data shows that most British gamblers typically consider gambling "as part of a healthy mix of various activities and social interactions."
"Money talks, and in this case, it also eats, as people spend more on pizza than on gambling. Home entertainment, such as Netflix, takeaways, and online betting, only accounts for about a third of leisure spending: the rest is spent on going out or traveling," he said.
"[Gambling] seems not to encroach on other activities or relate to a specific home lifestyle."
Compared to food delivery (£44) and streaming/media subscriptions, spending on gambling (12.29% of the total leisure budget) is higher.
Further segmented by operator, the data shows that McDonald's is by far the most popular takeaway or fast food restaurant among British gamblers, with 87% of consumers frequenting this fast-food outlet.
High-value gamblers have a higher leisure budget and spend more on gambling
For average gamblers, gambling ranks fifth in leisure spending priorities. In contrast, high-value gamblers place gambling first, with a higher proportion of their spending on gambling than any other category.
High-value gamblers have a much higher average total monthly leisure spending than the overall gambling population (17%).
High-value gamblers spend an average of £452.38 per month on leisure activities (including gambling), compared to an average of £386.67.
In their leisure spending, nearly 42.15% is used for gambling, with an average monthly expenditure of £191.
Takeaways are the second largest expenditure in these high-value players' leisure budgets, at £36.52 per month, accounting for just over 8% of the total expenditure. Entertainment, streaming, and media subscription costs are £35 (7.75%), £10 less than the average monthly cost for all gamblers.
Overall, high-value gamblers exhibit unique consumption patterns, allocating a larger proportion of their leisure budget to gambling compared to casual gamblers.
These insights highlight the significant role of gambling in the leisure activities of more active gamblers, emphasizing the importance of understanding this behavior in the context of broader consumer trends.
