The UK Gambling Commission Reports Record Slot Activity in Q2 2024

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has reported a 12% increase in total gross gaming yield (GGY) from online gambling in the second quarter of the 2024 financial year. The data, which spans from March 2020 to June 2024, encompasses both online and land-based gambling activities conducted by licensed operators across the country.
In its report for the second quarter of 2024 (April to June), the Commission revealed that the total GGY, covering approximately 80% of the online gambling market, reached £1.46 billion (₽161.21 billion), marking a 12% rise compared to the same period last year.
Activity in slot games hit new highs in terms of spins and average monthly active accounts, with GGY for this segment increasing by 10% year-on-year. The Commission noted, "We are currently reviewing the classification of certain products. This may lead to changes in data across verticals, but it should not affect the overall totals."
The number of bets and/or spins rose by 11% compared to the same period last year, reaching a new peak for the second consecutive quarter at 24.5 billion. The average monthly number of active accounts across all verticals increased by 9%.
Sessions of online slot games lasting over an hour grew by 8% to 9.6 million, while the average session length remained at 17 minutes. Approximately 6% of all games lasted more than an hour, the lowest figure recorded in the dataset.
Major sporting events, such as Euro 2024, significantly impacted betting on live matches. In the second quarter, GGY from sports betting reached £625 million (₽69.03 billion), a 16% increase compared to the same period last year.
In terms of GGY across other verticals, other gambling activities (including casinos) accounted for £159.6 million (₽17.63 billion), virtual betting for £10.3 million (₽1.13 billion), poker for £14.1 million (₽1.55 billion), and other forms of entertainment for £2 million (₽220.92 million).
For licensed operators covering about 85% of the market, GGY decreased by 1% compared to the first quarter of 2024, totaling £582 million (₽64.29 billion). There was also a 1% decline in the number of spins, which fell to 3.2 billion.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas Sands reported an 8.6% year-on-year increase in revenue in Macau and a 9.8% rise in Singapore for the second quarter.