GB online slots GGY hits new high in Q2 despite stake limits

Online gross gambling yield (GGY) increased 2% year-on-year during the second quarter in Great Britain, driven by a record performance for online slots despite the sector facing new stake limits.

Total GGY for the three months to 30 June was £1.49 billion ($2.02 billion), according to data from the Gambling Commission. This surpassed the £1.46 billion reported in Q2 last year and also beat Q1 this year by 3%.

The increase in GGY was in addition to a rise in the total number of bets and spins. This was 6% higher year-on-year at 26.1 billion for the three-month period.

However, average monthly active accounts in Q2 fell 10% compared to last year. The commission said there was an average of 12.7 million monthly active accounts during the period.

Online slots GGY reaches record £745 million in Q2

The majority of GGY was attributed to online slots in Q2 as it hit £745 million, an increase of 14% from last year and a new quarterly record.

This was powered by an all-time high number of spins in the quarter, which were up 8% to 24.4 billion. Meanwhile, average monthly active accounts remained stable at 4.4 million.

The record figures come despite the introduction of new online slot stake limits at the start of Q2. As of 9 April, players aged 25 or over could wager a maximum of £5 per spin. This limit is set lower – at £2 – for users under the age of 25.

This was among the first major measures to come out of the government’s Gambling Act white paper. Published in April 2023, this set out a series of proposals to update regulation in the British market.

Other findings included shorter playing sessions among consumers. The number of sessions lasting more than one hour was 9% less than last year, while the average session length decreased by one minute to 16 minutes. In total, 5% of sessions lasted more than one hour, down from 6% in 2024.

The commission noted that several operators have refined their session length methodology during the quarter. This, it said, impacted the average session length metrics.

Real event betting GGY dips 9%

Away from online slots, real event betting GGY was down 9% to £570 million. The number of bets here also slipped 7% year-on-year, while average monthly active accounts fell 16%.

Declines within the real event betting sector were primarily due to the absence of a major sports event compared to the Euros, which started in Q2 last year.

Elsewhere, GGY from other online gaming, including table games, topped £145 million, a drop of 9% from last year. Online poker GGY was also 21% lower at £11 million for the quarter, while virtual betting GGY slipped 12% to £9 million. Esports betting GGY also dropped 7% to £4 million.

Land-based GGY dips 5%

The commission also published data for land-based betting, covering approximately 90% of Britain’s market. Here, GGY was 5% lower year-on-year at £552 million.

Breaking down this market, machine GGY dropped 3% to £281 million, over-the-counter GGY fell 12% to £148 million, and self-service betting terminal GGY edged down by 2% to £122 million.

The fall in GGY was accompanied by a drop in player activity with total bets and spins down 3% to 3.2 billion. Machine sessions amounted to 24 million, with the number of sessions over one hour at 600,450.

This trend could be reversed as the year progresses as operators implement additional gaming machines as per the recent land-based reforms, passed into law in July by the government.