Football Betting Market Size & Trends in the UK: 2025 and Beyond
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Online sports betting in the UK pulls in £2.4 billion a year. Add land-based gambling and the total jumps to £15.6 billion. Betting isn’t just a trend anymore. It’s part of everyday life.
Latest UKGC data shows 9% of the country’s bets are online. That’s nearly 6 million people placing around 290 million bets each month. Football leads the way, generating £1.1 billion and attracting 5.8% of the population.
BetterGambling broke down the stats to show where the money goes and who’s driving it.
Market Size: Where the Money Really Goes
Sports betting isn’t just growing. It’s taking over. You feel it every Saturday: more bets, more markets, more action. Now the numbers back it up.
According to the UK Gambling Commission’s July 2025 report, remote sports betting alone brings in £2.4 billion, making up the largest slice of the £6.9 billion online gambling market.
From football accumulators to midweek tennis punts, UK punters are shifting more attention (and money) to sports than ever before. And operators are building the market around that momentum.
UK Sports Betting Revenue Breakdown (2024-25)
| Revenue Source | Amount (£ Billions) | Market Share | Annual Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Football Betting | 1.1 | 46% | +12% |
| Horse Racing | 0.77 | 32% | +8% |
| Other Sports | 0.53 | 22% | +15% |
| Total | 2.4 | 100% | +11% |
It’s Not Just Football Anymore
The growth in “other sports” tells a different story. Tennis, American-favourites, and esports are gaining ground, with that category growing 15% year on year, showing punters are moving beyond the usual Saturday football bets.
The UKGC’s latest data also shows customer balances reaching £896.3 million, a 29% rise compared to pre-2020 levels. Punters aren’t just betting more often. They’re also holding bigger balances in their accounts, ready for when the odds look right.
Who’s Actually Placing These Bets
Market research shows clear patterns in who places the bets. Around 75% of all sports bets come from men, but it’s the age breakdown that tells you where the real trends are moving.
UK Sports Betting by Age and Gender
| Age Group | Male Participation | Female Participation | Mobile Usage | Top Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-24 | 20% | 6% | 89% | Football, Esports |
| 25-34 | 28% | 8% | 76% | Football, Basketball |
| 35-44 | 22% | 5% | 62% | Football, Racing |
| 45-54 | 15% | 3% | 45% | Racing, Football |
| 55+ | 8% | 2% | 28% | Racing, Cricket |
Young men drive the market, and use their phones. The 25–34 age group leads the way, with 28% of men betting regularly.
Most younger punters bet straight from their phones, while older groups still use desktop or in-shop options.
Women’s betting rates remain low, but they’re rising, especially among 25–34s. Operators who get this right could tap into real growth.
Mobile Usage Changes Everything
Mobile betting isn’t just convenient; it’s completely changed how people bet.
Limelight Digital found “50% of bettors in the UK confirmed that they access online gambling via mobile phones,” but the real impact shows in betting behaviour.
Live bets now make up 45% of all sports betting, showing a clear shift: punters are betting while the match is on, not just before kick-off.
That means multiple chances to bet in a single game, which helps explain why revenue is growing faster than the number of players.
The Commission reports 37.4 million active accounts, placing around 290 million bets a month. That works out to about 8 bets per person, every month, not just one-off flutters, but consistent activity.
Mobile Betting Patterns
| Bet Type | Share of Total | Average Stake | Mobile Usage | Peak Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-match | 35% | £12.50 | 67% | Weekday evenings |
| Live/In-play | 45% | £8.75 | 91% | Weekend afternoons |
| Accumulators | 20% | £15.20 | 55% | Saturday mornings |
With live betting now making up 45% of all bets, it’s no surprise every major operator is pouring resources into live streaming and real-time odds.
The average live stake sits at £8.75, compared to £12.50 for pre-match bets, showing how mobile access drives faster, lower-stakes, impulse decisions.
Regional Betting Hotspots
Cardiff tops UK betting participation, with 72.5% of residents gambling monthly, just ahead of London at 71.9%. These urban centres drive industry growth through higher engagement and frequent wagers.
Meanwhile, physical betting shops continue to close, down to 5,931 nationwide, a 23% drop since pre-2020. This isn’t just a move online. It’s a clear market shift to mobile-first betting.
Football’s Total Dominance
Football betting brings in £1.1 billion a year, making it the top sport in the UK market. That’s no surprise: with matches happening almost all year round, from the Premier League to international games, there’s always something to bet on.
The UK Gambling Commission says 6% of adults bet on live football, that’s about 3.2 million people. On average, each regular football bettor spends around £29 per month.
That steady activity gives football a big edge over other sports that only attract bets during short periods.
Growth Projections: What’s Coming Next
Grand View Research projects UK sports betting growth from $11.2 billion (2024) to $21.3 billion (2030). That’s 11.4% annual growth, nearly doubling in six years.
The UK Gambling Commission’s data shows a subtle shift: new betting account sign-ups dropped by 3%, but at the same time, total revenue went up by 6.9%.
That tells us the market isn’t just growing in size; it’s changing shape. Instead of chasing more users, operators are now making more money from existing bettors. It’s a sign the industry is moving toward fewer but higher-value customers, with deeper engagement and bigger balances.
The Commission notes: “This reporting period saw a decrease in the number of new account registrations with RCBB operators (down 3.0% to 37.3 million).”
Fewer people are signing up, but those who already bet are spending more, more often. It shows a shift toward loyal, higher-value customers, a steadier kind of growth.
The Real Future of UK Betting – Insider Thoughts
We’ve tracked this shift for years, and the direction is clear. Mobile-native generations are no longer the future. They are the present. They’re earning more, betting smarter, and engaging faster than any group before them.
Live betting tech, personalised offers, and instant access are reshaping the entire UK betting experience. The £2.4 billion figure is not a peak. It marks the early stage of a structural shift toward mobile-first, always-on entertainment.
Football will keep leading. But the real growth sits in how and when people bet, not just what they bet on.
We are not watching a boom. We are watching a rebuild. And the firms that understand where the next wave of value lives (in behaviour, not just volume) will stay ahead of the curve.
References
- UK Gambling Commission – Industry Statistics – July 2025 – Correction: Official statistics
- Limelight Digital – Sports Betting UK Statistics – Top Picks (2025)
- Grand View Research – UK Sports Betting Market Size & Outlook, 2024-2030
