British land-based gambling revenue continues to decline
Only online slots saw growth in the last quarter of 2025.
UK.- Fresh figures from the British Gambling Commission reveal that betting activity in physical shops continued to slide in late 2025. Covering October to December, the regulator’s latest report shows gross gambling yield (GGY) from high street bookmakers dropped by 7 per cent year-on-year to £549m. The volume of bets and spins also dipped slightly, down 1 per cent to 3.1bn.
This downturn comes as traditional betting outlets face scrutiny as local authorities push for more power to turn down applications for new premises. Miatta Fahnbulleh, the MP for Peckham and minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities, recently said she intended to pursue change to tackle the issue.
Several major operators have already indicated plans to scale back their retail networks ahead of the rise in Remote Gaming Duty from April 2026 and General Betting Duty from April 2027 even though retail betting will escape the tax hike.
William Hill’s parent company, Evoke (formerly 888), has confirmed closures, while Flutter Entertainment has been reducing Paddy Power’s retail presence and Betfred previously suggested that it’s entire retail business would be jeopardised by any tax hike.
What about online gambling revenue?
Online gambling revenue also softened, but the picture was more mixed. Overall online GGY for Q3 stood at £1.5bn, a 2 per cent decline compared with the same period in 2024. This marks a shift from earlier previous periods, which had shown digital gaming growth as retail betting waned.
However, engagement rose. The numbers of bets and spins online climbed 6 per cent to 27.4bn, though the number of average monthly active accounts slipped 2 per cent to 12.7m.
Sports betting was particularly weak. Real event wagering saw GGY tumble 18 per cent to £530m, with bets down 6 per cent and active accounts falling 7 per cent.
Online slots bucked the trend, with GGY up 10 per cent year-on-year to £788m on the back of a 7 per cent rise in spins to 25.7bn. Monthly active accounts grew 5 per cent to 4.6m, setting a new record high for the third consecutive quarter.
Indicators of prolonged play fell. The number of sessions lasting over an hour dropped 16 per cent to 8.9m, while average session length shortened to 16 minutes. Long sessions made up 4.4 per cent of all slot play, down from 6.2 per cent a year earlier.
