Detailed statistics relating to Great Britain’s gambling industry have been collated from various bodies, including the Gambling Commission, industry trade bodies, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and HM Revenue and Customs. The Gambling Commission has published the industry statistics covering betting, bingo, casinos, gaming machines and arcades, lotteries and remote gambling. It does not cover the National Lottery or spread betting. In 2006/07 turnover in the gambling industry, including the National Lottery, was £84 billion and around 68% of the population had participated in some form of gambling activity.

As of March 2009 the Commission had issued 714 on-course and 720 off-course general betting licences. Over 80% of all betting shops are operated by five major companies: Ladbrokes, William Hill, Coral, Betfred, and the Tote. In 2008 betting on horses (turnover of £6.4 billion) far outweighed other forms of betting. Total on- and off- course and pool betting turnover was over £12.1 billion for the year with more than 1.5 billion bets placed at betting shops. Gross profit from gaming machines in betting shops was £1.1 billion.

There are at present 641 bingo clubs in Great Britain, over 40% of them owned by either Gala Bingo or Mecca Bingo. In 2008 gross gaming sales reached £1.7 billion and gross profit from Gaming machines was £214 million. Lottery proceeds after expenses and prizes were £93.2 million in 2008 and the Commission licensed 542 societies between March 2008 and March 2009 to hold a lottery. The Commission also licensed 328 remote gambling operators.

As of 31 March 2009 there were 143 casinos and two card clubs operating in the country with an additional 16 Gambling Act 2005 licences pending bidding processes at local authorities. The industry is dominated by three companies: Gala Group (27), Rank’s Grosvenor Casinos (32) and Genting Casinos (45). Gross profit from gaming machines in casinos was £120.5 million.

Casino visits were up 400,000 in the April 2008 to March 2009 financial year. House win throughout Great Britain was over £656.5 million from a total drop of 4.4 billion. There are still casino licences pending under Gaming Act 1968 applications, which if successful could lead to 192 casinos including six card clubs under the 1968 Act.

The four main operators of adult gaming centres (635) and family entertainment centres (319) are Nobles, Talarius, Shipley Leisure and Agora. The British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA) estimates that there were over 248,000 gaming machines available to the public at 31 March 2009. Gross profit in 2008 from gaming machines at Adult Gaming Centres was £397.4 million and Family Entertainment Centres £92.1 million.

The majority of gambling sites accessible to British citizens are regulated overseas. In many cases an operator is licensed by the Commission for remote betting but (for fiscal and other operational reasons) its remote casino and poker operations are licensed overseas. The main European overseas jurisdictions regulating remote gambling are Alderney, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man and Malta. Gross gambling yield for remote betting, bingo and casino was £896 million; with two major operators relocating all or part of their business offshore during 2008. (E-09.01.09)

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