Retail bingo participation remained resilient throughout 2025, according to the latest Gambling Survey for Great Britain, holding steady as overall in-person gambling and land-based machine gaming participation declined.
Bingo hall participation remained stable throughout 2025, despite a decline in overall land-based gambling participation excluding lottery products.
Gambling Survey for Great Britain data shows participation in bingo played at a venue, such as a bingo hall or social club, increased from 3.1 percent in the survey period covering February 2024 to January 2025, to 3.3 percent in the period covering May 2024 to April 2025, before reaching 3.4 percent in both subsequent waves, covering August 2024 to July 2025 and November 2024 to October 2025.
By contrast, overall participation in in-person gambling excluding lottery remained broadly stable at around 11 percent during the first three waves before falling from 11.6 percent to 10.4 percent in the latest wave.
Land-based fruit machine and slot play saw a sharper decline – a shift that dispels prohibitionist claims that machines are rising uncontrollably.
Participation in fruit and slots played in person rose from 3.2 percent in the first wave to 3.5 percent and 3.6 percent in the following two waves before dropping to 2.7 percent in the latest survey period. That drop represents a one third slide – certainly not a cowabonga wave.
A similar trend was recorded for machine-based casino gaming in land-based venues. Participation in casino games played on a machine or terminal in locations such as casinos, bookmakers, clubs and pubs fell from 1.7 percent to 1.3 percent in the latest wave.
While caution should be exercised when interpreting the Gambling Commission’s rather controversial GSGB, the figures reinforce the idea that the bingo sector has steadied the ship after many decades of decreasing participation, but the AGC critics may well have to reposition their arguments on gaming machines in light of these Commission stats.
Cowabonga…not
Coinslot assessment… “Land-based fruit machine and slot play saw a sharper decline …dropping to 2.7 percent in the latest survey period. That drop represents a one third slide – certainly not a cowabonga wave…
Originally published on Coinslot on June 22, 2026. Republished with permission.