From the desk

Gambling more popular in the UK than before

Updated 21 September 2026 UK · en-GB

By Larry • Posted in Gambling news • No Comments

Despite the general reputation of gambling in media, people do no seem to think the same way. You can come up with these conclusions after the industry statistics of 6 months were published this week. The gross has grown 3,7% since last stats were published.

In total the gross for the period between October 2016 and September 2017 was a massive £13.9 billion.

However, while the numbers keep rising, unfortunately, there has been a drop in the numbers of people being employed by the gambling sector. Compared to the last stats, there has been a drop of 0.8%. Looking at those numbers, it is not a surprise that the number of betting shops has gone south. Now there are 3.2% less betting shops in the UK than last year. However, there still 8, 532 betting shops on the island. We can come up with the conclusion, that the employees are more on the online side, where the gambling has been heading towards slowly, but steady.

Where UK players can open an account

All of these operators are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission; the numbers come from their own published offers.

Ratings checked 21 September 2026

No wageringFree spins

19.7Luxury CasinoUKGC licence · online since 1998£1,000 welcome package over five deposits18+ · T&Cs applyVisit Luxury CasinoPayPal · Trustly · Apple Pay · Evolution Gaming · Games Global
Offer terms
Terms published by the operator; check the site before you claim.
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from www.bonusfinder.co.uk, payment list from our own database.
29.5William HillUKGC licence · online since 1934200 free spins when you deposit & stake £10Wagering 10x · Code WHV200Visit William HillPayPal · Trustly · Apple Pay · Evolution Gaming · NetEnt
Offer terms
Wagering 10x · Code WHV200
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from www.aceodds.com, payment list from our own database.
39.4Spin CasinoUKGC licence · online since 2002Stake £20 & get 150 free spins (50 a day for 3 days)Wagering 0x · Wager-free spinsVisit Spin Casino Read reviewTrustly · Apple Pay · Skrill · Evolution Gaming · NetEnt
Offer terms
Wagering 0x · Wager-free spins
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from www.spincasino.co.uk, payment list from our own database.
49.2Jackpot City CasinoUKGC licence · online since 1998100% up to £100 + 100 free spins on JackpotCity Gold BlitzWagering 10xVisit Jackpot City CasinoPayPal · Trustly · Apple Pay · Evolution Gaming · NetEnt
Offer terms
Wagering 10x
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from www.casino.co.uk, payment list from our own database.
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Offer terms
Code 30FXS
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from gg.co.uk, payment list from our own database.
68.9UK Casino ClubUKGC licence · online since 2000£700 welcome package over first five depositsWagering 10xVisit UK Casino ClubPayPal · Trustly · Skrill · Games Global
Offer terms
Wagering 10x
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from www.whichbingo.co.uk, payment list from our own database.
78.8888 CasinoUKGC licence · online since 1997Deposit £10, stake £10 — get 100 free spinsWagering 0x · Wager-free spinsVisit 888 CasinoPayPal · Trustly · Apple Pay · Evolution Gaming · NetEnt
Offer terms
Wagering 0x · Wager-free spins
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from www.freebets.com, payment list from our own database.
88.6Zodiac CasinoUKGC licence · online since 1998£1 deposit — 80 chances on the Mega Moolah jackpot18+ · T&Cs applyVisit Zodiac CasinoPayPal · Trustly · Apple Pay · Evolution Gaming · Games Global
Offer terms
Terms published by the operator; check the site before you claim.
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from kingcasinobonus.uk, payment list from our own database.
98.5Dafabet CasinoUKGC licence · online since 2004100% first deposit bonus up to £20018+ · T&Cs applyVisit Dafabet CasinoSkrill · Neteller · Paysafecard · Evolution Gaming · NetEnt
Offer terms
Terms published by the operator; check the site before you claim.
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from thegameday.com, payment list from our own database.
108.3Swift CasinoUKGC licence · online since 2020100% up to £25 + 100 free spins on Book of DeadWagering 10xVisit Swift CasinoPayPal · Trustly · Apple Pay · Evolution Gaming · NetEnt
Offer terms
Wagering 10x
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from bookies.com, payment list from our own database.
118.2MrQ CasinoUKGC licence · PayPal100 free spins on your first £10 deposit — no wageringWagering 0x · Wager-free spinsVisit MrQ CasinoEvolution Gaming · NetEnt
Offer terms
Wagering 0x · Wager-free spins
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from mrq.com, payment list from our own database.
128.0Karamba CasinoUKGC licence · online since 200520 bonus spins on first deposit of £20+Wagering 10xVisit Karamba Casino Read reviewPayPal · Trustly · Skrill · Evolution Gaming · NetEnt
Offer terms
Wagering 10x
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from www.freebets.com, payment list from our own database.
137.9PlayOJO CasinoUKGC licence · online since 201750 wager-free spins on Book of Dead on first £10 depositWagering 0x · Wager-free spinsVisit PlayOJO Casino Read reviewPayPal · Trustly · Apple Pay · Evolution Gaming · NetEnt
Offer terms
Wagering 0x · Wager-free spins
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from www.playojo.com, payment list from our own database.
147.7Betway CasinoUKGC licence · online since 2006Stake £20 & get 150 free spins (50 a day for 3 days)Wagering 0x · Wager-free spinsVisit Betway Casino Read reviewPayPal · Trustly · Skrill · Evolution Gaming · NetEnt
Offer terms
Wagering 0x · Wager-free spins
What we checked
Licence on the UK Gambling Commission register, welcome offer taken from www.bettingexpert.com, payment list from our own database.

Show all 14 casinos

18+ only. Some links on this page earn us a commission — the order above is decided before any of that. GambleAware.org · GAMSTOP self-exclusion · National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.

But, there are some positive numbers as well to show, since there are now more bingo houses than before. There are now 649 of those and they experienced a 2% rise.

The original gambling machines have also faced a downfall by having a 0.7% drop. Do not worry though, there are still 182,982 gambling machines around the UK.