This report offers an extensive examination of the UK’s gambling market, delving into the anticipated trends, opportunities, and challenges the industry may face by 2025. It sheds light on how operators might navigate demographic shifts, such as the aging population and Gen Z’s preferences, while also considering potential responses to regulatory changes that impact both remote and retail gambling segments. Additionally, it provides strategic insights on consumer behavior, market division, and competitive dynamics, equipping operators with the guidance necessary to thrive in the ever-changing UK gambling market.
Gambling Industry Trends UK
Retail gambling retains much of its appeal despite the rise of remote alternatives. More people still gamble in person than online, and 8 in 10 of those who stake on non-lottery betting and gaming products do so on a multichannel basis.
With gambling’s low-cost entertainment status giving it some insulation against the worst of the cost of living crisis, the market’s most significant emerging threat could be the ambitions of black market operators looking to attract customers frustrated by the restrictions of new online regulations.
The main opportunities for future value growth will be around products and experiences (digital and in-person) that align with the changing leisure preferences of Gen Z – and those that can draw more of the growing older population into play.
Key Topics Covered in the Report
- How operators can best respond to demographic change
- The opportunities and threats of gambling’s new regulatory regime
- The products and experiences that can promote more female play
- How other sports can step out of football’s long betting shadow
- Where the evolution of sponsorship will take gambling promotion next
| Report Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| Published Date | June 2025 |
| Consumer Data | 1,964 internet users aged 18+, April 2025 |
| Number of Pages | 102 |
| Market Segmentation | Gaming machines/online slots, Lotteries, Betting, Casino Gaming, Bingo |
| Leading Companies in the UK Gambling Industry | Flutter (Sky Betting & Gaming, Paddy Power, Betfair, Tombola), Entain (Ladbrokes, Coral, Foxy Bingo, Gala Bingo), Evoke (888, William Hill, Mr Green) |
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by David Walmsley. David is a research analyst at Mintel focusing on the sport and leisure sectors, which he has covered for more than 15 years. Formerly a journalist with the BBC, Independent News & Media and the SportBusiness Group, he holds an honours degree in International Studies from the University of Birmingham.
In-person gambling can appeal to a new generation of players who value interactive, social leisure experiences with a strong competitive streak.
David Walmsley
Research Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for the gambling market
- Segment the offer for old and young
- A fun, social, mobile-first approach can bring more women to betting
- Sponsorship is now about more than sport
- Three concepts to tap this potential
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market size & forecast
- Market predictions
- Remote resilience set to absorb negative new regulatory effects
- Graph 1: [no title]
- Slots now attract a majority of non-lottery gambling spend
- Graph 2: consumer expenditure* on gambling, by segment, 2019/20-2023/24**
- Online focus puts Flutter ahead of retail rivals
- Graph 3: leading gambling operators’ annual revenues, 2023 and 2024
- Consumer confidence grows – but trading down options are still a welcome safety net
- Graph 4: financial confidence over the coming year, 2024-25
- What consumers want and why
- Almost two thirds of Brits now gamble
- Graph 5: participation in gambling*, 2019-25
- Lotteries performing better in volume than value terms
- Graph 6: gambling participation*, by activity, 2023-25
- Retail gambling broadens its appeal
- Graph 7: gambling participation, by channel, 2023-25
- Gamblers play in person and online
- Football dominates the sports betting landscape
- Graph 8: most popular betting sports, 2025
- Careful gamblers happy with tech tracking for safety
- Graph 9: attitudes towards gambling, 2025
- Innovation and marketing
- Adspend reaches a £600 million plateau
- Graph 10: gambling operators’ total advertising expenditure across the channels tracked by Nielsen Ad Intel, 2022-24
- Market attracts new entrants – and a familiar face gets a glow up
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market size
- Operators win at the table and the track
- Graph 11: consumer spending* on gambling, 2020/21-2024/25
- Retail completes recovery but remote segment sets the pace
- Graph 12: consumer spending* on gambling, by channel, 2020/21-2024/25**
- Market forecast
- Remote resilience set to absorb negative new regulatory effects
- Graph 13: [no title]
- Retail can maximise opportunity of reform, remote can minimise its threat
- Remote segment builds strength to ride out regulatory storm
- Graph 14: [no title]
- A window of opportunity to change the record on retail
- Graph 15: [no title]
- Black market poses growing threat to licensed online operators
- Market segmentation
- Slots now attract a majority of non-lottery gambling spend
- Graph 16: consumer expenditure* on gambling, by segment, 2019/20-2023/24**
- Online slots spending tops £3.5 billion
- Graph 17: consumer expenditure* on gaming machines and online slots, 2019/20-2023/24**
- Lotteries squeezed by living costs and lack of rollovers
- Graph 18: consumer expenditure* on lottery games, by channel (est), 2019/20-2023/24**
- Football takes the lead in a diversifying betting market
- Graph 19: consumer expenditure* on betting, by channel, 2019/20-2023/24**
- Land-based casinos bet big on new regulations
- Graph 20: consumer expenditure* on casino and card games, by channel, 2019/20-2023/24**
- Retail revival keeps bingo spending led by in-person play
- Graph 21: consumer expenditure* on bingo, by channel, 2019/20-2023/24**
- Market share
- Big three attract half of all non-lottery spending
- Online focus puts Flutter ahead of retail rivals
- Graph 22: leading gambling operators’ annual revenues, 2023 and 2024
- Bet365 and Sky Bet thrive on volume
- Graph 23: betting brands’ KPIs, 2025*
- Bingo brands built on a lower-stake business model
- Graph 24: gaming brands’ KPIs, 2025*
- Market drivers
- Living cost pressures show first signs of easing
- Graph 25: perceptions of the cost of living crisis, 2024-25
- More confident consumers have retained their willingness to spend
- Graph 26: financial confidence over the coming year, 2024-25
- Graph 27: spending on selected out-of-home leisure activities in the last three months, 2024-25
- Fragile sentiment means flexibility is key to keep customers playing
- Tougher remote regulation emboldens black market online
- Casinos first to gain from relaxed retail regime
- Gambling estate gets smaller – but better
- Venue base finds a more sustainable level
- Graph 28: licensed gambling premises, by segment, 2014-24*
- Ageing population structure challenges leisure operators
- Graph 29: population, by age, 2022-34
- Don’t discount the grey pound
- Graph 30: reporting of healthy finances*, by generation, 2025
- Graph 31: annual household earnings, by generation, 2025
- Different leisure horses for different demographic courses
- Graph 32: factors influencing choice of leisure activity, by generation, 2024
- Segment the offer along generational lines
- Technology: AI > AR + VR
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Gambling participation
- Almost two thirds of Brits now gamble
- Graph 33: participation in gambling*, 2019-25
- Player base splits three ways
- Graph 34: gambling participation base*, by market segment, 2025
- Betting and gaming hold younger, more male appeal
- Graph 35: gambling participation base*, by segment, age and gender, 2025
- Most gamblers are better off
- Graph 36: gambling participation base*, by segment and household income, 2025
- Gambling activities
- Lotteries and betting are preferences for play
- Lotteries performing better in volume than value terms
- Graph 37: gambling participation*, by activity, 2023-25
- Pools format can draw lottery players
- Graph 38: participation in betting and gaming, by gambling participation*, 2025
- Betting is a younger person’s game
- Evolution of betting must prioritise Gen Z preferences
- Graph 39: participation in sports betting*, by generation, 2025
- Mixed-sex appeal can help bingo compete in the social entertainment market
- Graph 40: participation in gambling activities*, by gender, 2025
- Fun, social and mobile products can take women beyond bingo and the pools
- Graph 41: under-25s’ participation in gambling activities*, by age and gender, 2025
- Gambling channels
- Gamblers stake at home and on the high street
- Retail’s steady rise reflects the length of its post-pandemic recovery
- Graph 42: gambling participation, by channel, 2023-25
- Tech integrations build multichannel appeal
- Graph 43: gambling channels, by segment, 2025
- In-person play matches online for volume – but not for value
- Graph 44: gambling participation, by activity and channel, 2025
- Retail gambling can appeal to Gen Z…
- Graph 45: Gen Z gambling participation, by activity and channel, 2025
- …at the Bet and Play Club especially
- Frequency of gambling
- Two in five wager weekly
- Players spending more rather than playing more
- Graph 46: frequency of gambling, 2022
- Parity of weekly play masks online segment’s lead at higher frequencies
- Graph 47: frequency of gambling, by channel, 2025
- Poker players are most committed
- Graph 48: frequency of gambling, by activity, 2025
- Sports betting
- Football dominates the sports betting landscape
- Graph 49: most popular betting sports, 2025
- Big races attract a female flutter
- Graph 50: participation in sports betting, by sport and gender, 2025
- Make horserace betting more social to grow women’s engagement
- Younger interest in tennis builds in-play potential
- Graph 51: participation in sports betting, by sport and age, 2025
- Cash and access can open the door to wider betting repertoires
- Graph 52: sports betting incentives, 2025
- Get younger players closer to the action
- Graph 53: sports betting incentives, by age, 2025
- Prioritise social betting to build female appeal
- Graph 54: sports betting incentives, by gender, 2025
- Attitudes towards gambling
- Strong support for responsible play
- Does safe play messaging highlight risk?
- Graph 55: attitudes towards gambling, 2025
- Gamblers keen to monitor their habits
- Graph 56: attitudes towards responsible gambling, by gambling participation, 2025
- New technologies will appeal to the better off
- Graph 57: attitudes towards gambling technologies, by household income, 2025
- Get creative to work with sponsorship restrictions
- Graph 58: attitudes towards gambling promotion, by gambling participation, 2025
- Sponsorship and influencers have most clout with young
- Target youth interests beyond sport to maximise marketing impact
- Graph 59: attitudes towards gambling promotion, by generation, 2025
- Bet the bizarre to align with festival fun
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS
- Launch activity and innovation
- Investors back challenger brands
- The Pools bets on major rebrand
- Private clubs act as exclusive betting shops
- Bingo brands look to more compact formats
- Convenience stores add scratchcards to delivery orders
- Gameshow genre embraces thrill of The Chase
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Adspend reaches a £600 million plateau
- Graph 60: gambling operators’ total advertising expenditure across channels tracked by Nielsen Ad Intel, 2022-24
- National Lottery ramps up investment
- Graph 61: gambling operators’ total advertising expenditure across channels tracked by Nielsen Ad Intel, by segment, 2023-24
- TV regains dominance as digital spending dips
- Graph 62: gambling operators’ total advertising expenditure across channels tracked by Nielsen Ad Intel, by channel, 2022-24
- Outdoor revival can reach a younger crowd
- Creative focus turns to fun
- Football fans: We feel your pain
- Scratching around
- Homage to the horse
- Teasing the Strip
- Sponsorships speak to Gen Z
- Sporting partnerships consider their conduct
- Sport puts sponsors’ brands in the spotlight
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APPENDIX
- Supplementary data
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Market size: underlying data
- Market forecast: underlying data
- Market forecast and prediction intervals
- Remote market forecast and prediction intervals
- Retail market forecast and prediction intervals
- Forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
- Snoop SpendMapper methodology
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