Great Britain’s gambling industry saw a 4.4% increase in gross gambling yield (GGY) to £17.5 billion ($23.4 billion) during FY2026.

Excluding lotteries, the Gambling Commission reported a 4.7% increase in GGY to £13.2 billion ($17.7 billion) during April 2025 to March 2026.

The online sector showed the strongest growth, with remote casino, betting, and bingo GGY rising 6.9% to £8.3 billion ($11.1 billion) compared to a 1.1% increase in land-based sectors.

Despite the growth, the number of licensed gambling premises decreased by 2% to 8,081 licensed premises in Great Britain by the end of the period.

Operators like Entain and Flutter have announced shop closures due to a growing tax burden in recent months.

Online Sector Drives Growth

Online casino games led the remote market, generating £5.7 billion ($7.6 billion) in GGY, with slots contributing £4.8 billion ($6.4 billion).

Remote betting saw £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) in GGY, with football accounting for £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) and horseracing for £769.3 million ($1.03 billion).

Despite the growth in remote GGY, new account registrations decreased by 3% to 32.4 million, with 25.7 million active accounts at the end of the reporting period.

Funds held in customer accounts also decreased significantly to £886.6 million ($1.19 billion), down by 13.9% from the previous year.

Non-remote betting GGY decreased by 3.3% to £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion), with the number of betting shops declining for the 12th consecutive reporting period to 5,617 premises, a 3.6% annual drop.

Bingo GGY increased by 8.2% to £703.8 million ($941.8 million), while arcade GGY rose by 10.7% to £800.1 million ($1.07 billion).

Entain Pushes for Faster Action on Unlicensed Sponsorship

The new data highlights the scale of Britain’s regulated gambling market as Entain calls for stricter action against operators operating without a license.

Entain pointed out that 11 out of 20 Premier League clubs have sponsorship agreements with unlicensed gambling operators, up from eight clubs in the 2025/26 season according to the government.

CEO Stella David emphasized the need for restrictions on online and digital advertising and called for an immediate ban on such activities.

Entain’s analysis forecasts a significant rise in bets placed with unlicensed operators in the UK, from £17 billion ($22.8 billion) in 2025 to over £33 billion ($44.2 billion) by 2028.

Entain cited analysis showing bets placed in the UK with unlicensed operators could rise from £17 billion ($22.8 billion) in 2025 to more than £33 billion ($44.2 billion) by 2028.