UK

Placing bets is a pastime to many Britons, just like it is for the rest of the world, and today, bettors, given that you are above the age of 18, in the United Kingdom can place wagers on basically any sport or sporting event imaginable. However, aside from that, punters are bound by no other restrictions regarding sports gambling, which means that UK punters can wager on all kinds of sports, events, and competitions offered by licensed bookmakers in the country.

In fact, the UK sports gambling industry even came up with the first sports betting exchange in the world, Betfair. Horse race betting is also widely popular in the United Kingdom, and events such as Royal Ascot and Cheltenham Festival are among the most prestigious horse racing competitions in the whole world.

In addition to all that, Daily Fantasy Sports is legal in the country, but it's worth noting that the UK's DFS market is far smaller than North America's.

Recent updates from the UK’s sports betting scene

• March 6, 2025: RMG and Playtech Sports bring in-play betting to the Cheltenham Festival for the first time, allowing betting shop punters to wager live on full win markets. RMG also partnered with Pythia Sports and QLS to further enhance horse race betting.

• March 6, 2025: The UK’s CMA will reassess its decision on Spreadex’s acquisition of Sporting Index after a successful Competition Appeal Tribunal challenge. Originally ruled anti-competitive, the merger faced a forced divestiture, but Spreadex now gets another chance to defend its investment.

• February 13, 2025: The UK gambling black market is surging, with a 522% rise in visits to unlicensed horse racing betting sites. An IFHA report highlights concerns that government reforms may be pushing bettors toward illegal platforms, calling for stronger regulatory action.

• February 12, 2025: The UKGC announces Stake.com’s exit from the UK market following an investigation into a controversial social media ad. The crypto betting giant, operated under TGP Europe in the country via a white-label agreement, agreed to stop new registrations and remove UK-facing links after prior regulatory action.

• February 7, 2025: The UK’s online gambling revenue soared 21% YoY in Q4 2024, hitting £1.54B ($1.92B) amid record-high bets and spins. Real event betting contributed £647M, a 38% jump from 2023 and the highest quarterly figure since mid-2021.

With the wide variety of betting and gambling apps available, UK bettors have endless wagering options at their fingertips. In addition, retail gambling establishments allow Britons to wager on poker, casino games, horse races, bingo, and lottery. Of course, slots and live casino games are also available on online casinos that have just obtained UKGC licenses.

The UK gambling market is the biggest in Europe and is estimated to face an annual growth of 5.25% from 2022-2026. So, it is clear that the country is truly a hotspot of the global online gambling scene.

Other gambling-related news & stories from the UK

• March 4, 2025: The UK Gambling Commission fines AspireGlobal £1.4M ($1.8M) for social responsibility and AML failures across its 58 gambling sites. The penalty follows cases where the operator failed to detect rapid losses, including a customer losing £6,000 in 48 hours without timely intervention.

• February 14, 2025: The UK Gambling Commission fines Merkur Slots UK, an operator of more than 200 adult gaming centers (AGCs) across the country, £95,450 ($120,000) for social responsibility failures. The penalty followed an investigation into a Stockport venue where a customer lost nearly £2,000 ($2,516) in just a few days.

• February 14, 2025: Professional gambler R.L., known as “Lord Lester,” is sentenced to five years for scamming nearly 200 people with fake cruise deals. His Ponzi scheme stole £400,000 ($500,000), leaving victims worldwide stranded at ports.

• February 13, 2025: The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, founded by Martin Lewis, launched the Gambling Harms Action Lab. Backed by UKGC funds, Barclays, HSBC UK, Virgin Money, and others will collaborate for 18 months to tackle gambling harm and support affected players.

• February 10, 2025: An investigation found UK gambling sites, including Hollywoodbets and Bwin, sharing user data with Meta without consent. The Guardian reports that Meta Pixel tracked user activity, raising serious privacy concerns and fueling targeted gambling ads on Facebook.