The UK gambling sector saw a significant upswing in the third quarter of 2024, driven by strong online performance, according to data released by the UK Gambling Commission.
Online Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) surged 21% year-on-year to £1.54 billion ($1.91 billion), setting a new industry benchmark. The total number of bets and spins grew by 8% to 25.9 billion, while the number of active online accounts expanded 10% to 4.4 million per month.
Online slots emerged as a key contributor to the sector's growth, with GGY climbing 15% to £709 million, marking an all-time high. The total number of spins rose 9% to 23.9 billion, while the average slot session length extended to 18 minutes. Sessions exceeding an hour grew by 6% to 10.4 million.
However, the Gambling Commission noted that operator classification adjustments impacted this quarter’s slot data. While this represents a new peak for GGY in the dataset for the slots vertical, one operator reclassified some of its products into the slot vertical this quarter, which affected the vertical data.
Online real event betting recorded a 38% GGY surge to £647 million, the highest level since Q2 2021. Despite this, the number of bets fell 7%, while active monthly accounts dropped 3%, suggesting bookmaker-friendly results during the quarter played a role in the revenue boost.
The UK’s brick-and-mortar betting shops posted a 5% increase in GGY to £592 million, even as total bets and spins fell 4% to 3.1 billion.
• Over-the-counter (OTC) betting GGY rose 4% to £160 million, though bets placed dropped 3% to 130 million.
• Self-Service Betting Terminal (SSBT) usage climbed 2%, with GGY jumping 32% to £153 million, reaching a record level.
• Machine gaming faced a downturn, with GGY sliding 5% to £280 million, and the average spend per session dipping 1% to £12.28.
Player interactions related to safer gambling practices grew 23% year-on-year to 3.5 million, primarily through automated systems. Direct operator interactions also rose 12%, likely due to improved harm detection algorithms.
In the retail sector, 2.73% of machine gaming sessions lasted over an hour, slightly up from 2.48% in Q3 2023/24, raising concerns over potential problem gambling trends.
The Gambling Commission cautioned that its data covers approximately 80% of the UK market and that some trends may be influenced by changes in operator reporting methods.
