The Gambling Commission has released operator-reported data through December 2025, giving the clearest look yet at how Britain’s gambling market is adapting to last year’s stake limits on online slots. In Q3 (October–December) 2025, total online Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) slipped 2% year-on-year to £1.5 billion, while slots GGY climbed 10% to a record £788 million. Real-event betting fell sharply online, and retail premises softened as well.
Q3 snapshot: online dip, slots rise, retail softens
According to the Commission, online gambling activity stayed heavy by volume in Q3 2025–26, with 27.4 billion total bets and spins, up 6% year-on-year, even as average monthly active accounts dipped 2% to 12.7 million. Online real-event betting GGY fell 18% to £530 million, while retail betting premises GGY declined 7% to £549 million and total bets/spins on premises inched down 1% to 3.1 billion.
Stake limits and online slots behavior
This marked the third quarter since stake limits for online slots took effect (£5 for adults from 9 April 2025 and £2 for 18–24 year-olds from 21 May 2025). Despite the new caps, slots hit their third straight quarterly peak in both GGY and spins. Slots GGY rose 10% year-on-year to £788 million, spins were up 7% to 25.7 billion, and average monthly active accounts grew 5% to 4.6 million.
Measures linked to potential harm moved lower: the number of online slots sessions longer than an hour fell 16% to 8.9 million; the average session was two minutes shorter at 16 minutes; and the share of sessions over an hour slipped to 4.4% from 6.2% a year earlier. The Commission noted that some operators refined how they measure session length over the year, which affects comparability.
Real-event betting contracts online and in retail
Real-event betting declined across the board. Online, GGY fell 18%, the number of bets dropped 6%, and average monthly active accounts were down 7%. In retail betting premises, GGY was 7% lower year-on-year and total bets/spins on machines and over-the-counter activity fell 1%. The pattern points to slots taking a larger share of online GGY as sports-led revenues soften.
Data caveats and comparability
The operator data set covers March 2020 through December 2025 and compares Q3 2025–26 with Q3 2024–25. The Commission cautioned against comparing these figures with its industry statistics dataset. The operator data may include free bets and bonuses and does not cover all operators. In addition, “active accounts” can be counted multiple times across verticals and months within a quarter, and session metrics have seen methodology updates at some operators.
Key figures
- Online total GGY: £1.5bn (−2% YoY); total bets/spins 27.4bn (+6%); average monthly active accounts 12.7m (−2%).
- Online slots: GGY £788m (+10%); spins 25.7bn (+7%); average monthly active accounts 4.6m (+5%); sessions >1 hour 8.9m (−16%); 4.4% of sessions >1 hour (down from 6.2%); average session length 16 minutes (−2 minutes).
- Online real-event betting: GGY £530m (−18%); number of bets −6%; average monthly active accounts −7%.
- Betting premises: GGY £549m (−7%); total bets/spins 3.1bn (−1%).
- Other online verticals: approximately £182m GGY (balance of online total).
Market implications
The figures indicate a market recalibration rather than contraction: overall online GGY eased, but slots expanded under the new stake rules and now comprise a larger share of online revenue. Real-event betting weakened across channels, and retail’s year-on-year decline continued. Engagement measures for slots trended shorter, though methodological changes limit firm conclusions about behavior shifts.
In summary, Commission data for Q3 2025–26 shows online GGY down slightly, with slots establishing new records in GGY and play volume despite recently introduced stake caps. Sports betting revenue declined online and in retail, and long sessions became less common, with caveats on measurement. The dataset is operator-reported and not directly comparable to the Commission’s industry statistics series.