Regulatory Changes Spark Industry Debate Over Projected GGY Impact

When you pay a visit to a UK online casino, it’s likely you will head straight for the slots section. Recent figures published by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) have illustrated just how important a role they play in the industry. However, with new regulation coming into force, will their impact be reduced?

The first quarter of 2025 saw online gross gambling yield (GGY) increase by 7% when compared to the same period last year.  A GGY of £1.45 billion was recorded and that’s up from the £1.34 billion achieved in the first three months of 2024.

Let’s now look at just how important a role online slots played in the Q1 GGY for 2025. The online slots GGY totalled £689 million, that’s not far away from being half the overall total. That was an 11% increase on the same period last year.

There was also an increase in the number of spins recorded. A massive 23.4 billion took place in the first three months of 2025, 6% higher than the corresponding period last year. The number of sessions that lasted over 60 minutes also saw an increase.

The recorded total of 10.1 million was a 5% increase on 2024. That accounts for 6% of all sessions taking place. The average session length for players was 17 minutes, a total that is pretty much the same as seen last year.

The average length of sessions was approximately 17 minutes and that is consistent with last year’s figure. 6% of sessions lasted over an hour, that’s the same as for the previous quarter.

It is so important for an online casino to have a strong slots portfolio. That is why sites are always on the lookout to be signing new deals with game developers. For example, NetBet UK recently linked up with Blueprint Gaming.

Those going to their site will now be able to try their luck on such excellent slots as ‘King Kong Cash’ and ‘Fishin Frenzy.’ Gaming Corps are a Swedish slots developer and this year has seen them partner with 32Red. This allows them to expand into the UK market and strengthens the 32Red slots portfolio.

While such partnerships are good for the slots section of UK online casinos, there has been increased regulation of online slots. There have long been concerns over how addictive online slot games can be, particularly with younger players. They find the games attractive to play but until this year, there has not been a maximum stake limit for online slots.

A spokesperson for Gambler Media said: “Online slots remain the backbone of the UK iGaming industry, but the new stake limits could shift player behaviour significantly. While the aim is harm reduction, there’s a real concern that overly restrictive measures may drive some users toward unlicensed sites with fewer safeguards.”

With that being so, although the average length of a session is only 17 minutes, a lot of money can be lost in that time. Players who fail to get some initial wins could be spending most of that time chasing their losses. That is never something to be encouraged and can often just lead to larger amounts of money being lost.

Now a maximum stake limit has been introduced. For those aged 18-25, it is £2 a spin and for older players, £5 for each game. Campaigners are still calling for more action to be taken. There are still concerns over the speed of online slots and the view that the £2 maximum stake should be for all players not just those aged 18-24.

How will the new regulations affect the UK gambling industry and those who visit the many sites? There may be reduced maximum stake limits but will that reduce the losses that are being incurred by players and the gambling harm that is being inflicted?  It could well be that slot players simply play the games for longer periods as their budget may not be used up so quickly as before the new regulations came into place.

There is stricter regulation of the UK gambling industry on its way as well as the fear of rising taxation. Already, there have been stricter affordability checks introduced for players. These aim to discover if a gambler can afford the amounts that are being wagered and being lost. Such regulation is unpopular with gamblers, especially those who feel they are not having any problems with the way in which they play.

Now that there are new maximum stake limits for online slots, there could be even more players who decide to leave the licensed and regulated market. That is not a helpful situation as it costs the licensed industry revenue and the amount of gambling tax received by the treasury is also reduced. As for players, they do not receive anywhere near the same level of customer protection on the unlicensed market.

It will be interesting indeed to see future GGY figures for the UK gambling industry. Will the impressive online slots figures be reduced and how many gamblers will leave the licensed market?