Cookies on the Gambling Commission website

The Gambling Commission website uses cookies to make the site work better for you. Some of these cookies are essential to how the site functions and others are optional. Optional cookies help us remember your settings, measure your use of the site and personalise how we communicate with you. Any data collected is anonymised and we do not set optional cookies unless you consent.

Set cookie preferences

You've accepted all cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Industry

Latest industry statistics published for 2017 to 2018

30 May 2019

Gambling industry statistics are published twice a year (in May and November) and provide the latest information on each sector regulated by the Gambling Commission.

The latest statistics, which include online gambling services offered to customers in Britain, cover the period between October 2017 – September 2018.

Headline findings:

  • £14.5bn – total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) of the Great Britain gambling industry (Oct 2017 – September 2018) (0.4% decrease from Apr 2017 – Mar 2018)
  • 106,670 – number of employees in the Great Britain gambling industry (September 2018) (1.4% decrease from March 2018)
  • 8,423 – number of betting shops in Great Britain (September 2018) (1.5% decrease from March 2018)
  • 650 – number of bingo premises in Great Britain (September 2018) (1.1% decrease from March 2018)
  • 152 – number of casinos in Great Britain (September 2018) (1 more than March 2018)
  • 1,639 – number of licensed arcades in Great Britain (September 2018) (5.3% decrease from March 2018)
  • £5.6bn – Gross Gambling Yield for the remote sector (October 2017 – September 2018) (2.9% increase from Apr 2017 – March 2018)
  • 39% - the market share of the remote (online) sector (October 2017 – September 2018) (1.2% increase from April 2017- March 2018)
  • 183,813 – number of gaming machines in Great Britain (October 2017 – September 2018) (2.4% increase from April 2017 – March 2018) (excludes those requiring only a local authority permit)
  • £1.5bn – contributions to good causes from The National Lottery (October 2017 – September 2018) (0.3% increase from April 2017 – March 2018)
  • £314m – contributions to good causes from large society lotteries (April 2017 – March 2018) (5.1% increase from April 2017- March 2018)

Ben Haden, Programme Director for Industry Insight said: “Despite the marginal decline across the wider gambling industry, the online gambling sector continues to grow. Our role as regulator will continue to see us working to raise standards right across the industry.

“Following our comprehensive review of the online gambling sector in 2018, this year we have implemented new rules to strengthen age and ID verification checks and we’ve also been working with partners in financial institutions to develop the role they can play to protect vulnerable consumers.

“Last month we published the new National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms which has a renewed focus on plans to widen research, take a preventative approach to gambling harms, assess treatment provision, embed a culture of evaluation, and encourage industry to collaborate to make gambling safer.’’

Note to editors

  1. More information about how we regulate the gambling industry.
  2. Useful statistics on the gambling industry.
  3. Our approach to enforcement.
  4. Journalists can contact our press office on 0121 230 6700 or email: communications@gamblingcommission.gov.uk

For all media enquiries, please contact the Gambling Commission press office.

Last updated: 18 February 2021

Show updates to this content

No changes to show.

Is this page useful?
Back to top