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Betting in the United Kingdom - statistics & facts

Betting is a type of gambling that refers to the act of placing a wager on the outcome of an event. Bets are typically made through bookmakers, also known as bookies. These operate both as land-based establishments, like casinos or betting shops, and online. The gross gambling yield (GGY) of the betting sector in Great Britain between April and March 2022 was approximately 2.13 billion British pounds. The previous year, between April 2020 and March 2021, Great Britain’s GGY fell to a decade low 1.04 billion as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the number of betting shops in Great Britain was already on the decline, from over nine thousand in 2011 to well under seven thousand in 2022. This decline is likely a result of the growth of the online betting market in the United Kingdom. As of the fourth quarter of 2022, the most popular betting brand in Great Britain was the National Lottery.

Online betting in the UK

With the rapid technological development of personal computers and mobile devices in recent times, it is perhaps unsurprising that the online gambling, or remote gambling, sector has grown in recent years. The GGY of the online betting market in the UK amounted to roughly 250 million British pounds at the start of 2022. The online market’s GGY remained high throughout the pandemic, surpassing the pre-pandemic figure of around 92 million British pounds in March 2019. The overall number of online bets placed in Great Britain was dominated by betting on real events; however, due to the pandemic, the number of bets placed on real events dropped significantly in April 2020 and bets placed on virtual events increased. In March 2022, the number of active players placing bets on real events in Great Britain grew again to approximately 6.38 million.

Sports betting in the UK

Some of the more common events that are bet on in the UK are sporting events, such as horse racing, dog racing, and soccer. Increasingly many sports bets are being made online, some of the leading UK sportsbook websites being used by bettors include paddypower.com, betway.com, and telegraph.co.uk. That being said, there are still those who bet on course at events, this being especially common at the races. In between April 2021 and March 2022, the turnover of on course horse race betting in Great Britain was approximately 119.3 million British pounds. This figure was significantly lower during the previous year as a result of the pandemic when safety regulations were put in place that meant sporting events were either canceled or must take place without spectators. The GGY of off course horse race betting in Great Britain and the GGY of off course dog race betting in Great Britain both also showed significant declines during the health crisis, though these have both been experiencing a general decline for the last decade.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Dec 20, 2023

Key insights

GGY of the betting sector in Great Britain
2.13bn GBP
Betting segment with the highest GGY in Great Britain
Horse racing
Number of betting shops in Great Britain
6,219
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Gross gambling yield (GGY) of the betting sector of the gambling industry in Great Britain from 2010 to 2022 (in billion GBP)

Gambling

Gross gambling yield of the betting industry in Great Britain 2010-2022

Total number of betting shops in the gambling industry in Great Britain from March 2011 to March 2022

Gambling

Number of betting shops in Great Britain 2011-2022

Share of the public participating in sports betting in Great Britain from 2018 to 2023

Sports Betting

Sports betting participation in Great Britain 2018-2023

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Participation

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Dogs

Soccer

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Gambling in the United Kingdom
Gambling industry in Italy
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Gambling in Europe
Gambling in Europe

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