UK gambling yield rose 4.4% to £17.5 billion as online casino and gaming machines kept growing

The Gambling Commission’s latest industry activity report for April 2025 to March 2026 shows a market still tilting toward remote gambling, even as parts of the land-based estate continue to shrink. For PSPs and acquirers in high-risk verticals, the useful part is simple: online casino remains the main engine, while physical retail is losing footprint but not disappearing from the numbers.

1. Total UK GGY (gross gambling yield) increased 4.4% year-on-year to £17.5 billion. Excluding lottery activity, GGY was £13.2 billion, up 4.7% year-on-year.
2. Remote casino, betting, and bingo (RCBB) generated £8.3 billion in GGY, up 6.9% year-on-year, and made up about 63% of non-lottery industry yield. Online casino alone accounted for £5.7 billion, with £4.8 billion coming from slots.
3. Remote betting reached £2.4 billion, led by football at £1.2 billion and horse racing at £769.3 million. Remote bingo GGY was £147.8 million. Quarterly data for January to March 2026 showed online verticals producing £2.2 billion, with remote casino alone responsible for 68.3% of that total, or £1.5 billion.
4. Gaming machines in arcades recorded £800.1 million in GGY, up 10.7%, mainly across adult gaming centres (AGCs), which generated £761.4 million, up 11.3%. Gaming machines overall contributed £2.7 billion to GGY, a 4.3% uplift.
5. The land-based sector generated £4.9 billion in GGY, up 1.1% year-on-year, but the physical estate shrank. Licensed gambling premises fell 2% to 8,081, while betting shops declined for the twelfth consecutive period to 5,617, down 3.6% and 208 shops year-on-year. As of 31 March 2026, there were 2,154 licensed gambling operators, down 1.1%, and 3,097 separately licensed gambling activities, up 0.4%.

The practical takeaway for high-risk payment providers is that the UK market is not moving in one direction. Remote casino and gaming machines are still expanding, while retail betting keeps contracting in estate terms but remains material in spend. That is the mix operators and PSPs have to price, underwrite, and monitor.