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Quick answer: US commercial gambling revenue reached a record $78.72 billion in 2025, up 9.2%, and Americans bet $166.94 billion with legal sportsbooks, according to the American Gaming Association (February 2026). Great Britain’s gambling industry kept £16.8 billion from players in the year to March 2025, and worldwide about 80 million adults have a gambling disorder or problem gambling, according to the Lancet Public Health Commission on gambling (October 2024).
Key gambling statistics at a glance
| Statistic | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US commercial gaming revenue | $78.72 billion (up 9.2%) | 2025 | AGA |
| US sports betting handle (money bet) | $166.94 billion (up 11.0%) | 2025 | AGA |
| US sports betting revenue | $16.96 billion (up 22.8%) | 2025 | AGA |
| US online casino (iGaming) revenue | $10.74 billion (up 27.6%) | 2025 | AGA |
| US gaming taxes | $18.09 billion (up 15.1%) | 2025 | AGA |
| US adults who bet on sports in the past year | 22% (19% in 2022) | Survey of July to August 2025 | Pew Research Center |
| US adults with severe gambling problems | About 2.5 million (1%) | In a given year | NCPG estimate |
| Great Britain gross gambling yield | £16.8 billion (up 7.3%) | April 2024 to March 2025 | Gambling Commission |
| Great Britain online gambling yield | £7.8 billion (up 13.1%) | April 2024 to March 2025 | Gambling Commission |
| GB adults who gambled in the past 4 weeks | 47% (27% excluding lottery-only players) | 2025 survey | Gambling Commission |
| GB adults with a PGSI score of 8 or more (problem gambling) | 2.4% | 2025 survey | Gambling Commission |
| Adults worldwide with gambling disorder or problem gambling | About 80 million | Published October 2024 | Lancet Public Health Commission |
The US figures are the AGA’s first count for 2025, published on 26 February 2026. Its later State of the States report (May 2026) revised the total slightly, to about $78.6 billion. They cover commercial gaming only; tribal casinos are not included.
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Gambling statistics by country
The table puts the latest official yearly figures for the United States and Great Britain next to the worldwide estimates. Each figure is checked against two sources, listed in How we checked this at the end of the page.
| Measure | United States | Great Britain | Worldwide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money kept by gambling operators | $78.72 billion commercial gaming revenue (2025) | £16.8 billion gross gambling yield (April 2024 to March 2025) | No official total |
| Online gambling | $10.74 billion online casino revenue, about 13.6% of the total | £7.8 billion online yield, about 46% of the total | No official total |
| Yearly growth | Up 9.2% | Up 7.3% | Not measured |
| Adults who gamble | 22% bet on sports in the past year (2025) | 47% gambled in the past 4 weeks (2025) | Not measured |
| Problem gambling | About 1% severe and 2% to 3% mild or moderate (NCPG estimate) | 2.4% scored 8 or more on the PGSI (2025) | About 80 million adults; 448.7 million at some risk |
The online shares are our own sums from the official totals. Problem gambling rates come from different surveys and screening tools in each country, so they are not directly comparable.
How much do Americans bet on sports?
Americans bet $166.94 billion with legal US sportsbooks in 2025, up 11.0%, and the sportsbooks kept $16.96 billion of it, about 10.2% of every dollar bet by our sum. Here are the other key sports betting statistics:
- 39 states plus Washington, D.C. had legal sports betting by mid-2026, and about 30 of them allowed online or mobile betting.
- 22% of US adults bet money on sports in the past year and 10% bet online, up from 19% and 6% in 2022 (Pew survey of 9,916 adults, July to August 2025).
- 43% of US adults now say legal sports betting is a bad thing for society, up from 34% in 2022 (same Pew survey).
- $3.71 billion in taxes came from state-regulated sportsbooks in 2025, up 32.4% (AGA).
Sports event contracts on prediction markets are regulated federally rather than by state gaming boards; our guide to prediction markets explains how they differ from sportsbooks.
How many people have a gambling problem?
About 80 million adults worldwide have a gambling disorder or problem gambling, and 448.7 million have at least one symptom or harm from gambling (what researchers call any-risk gambling), according to the Lancet Public Health Commission on gambling, published in October 2024. These are the main gambling addiction statistics by country:
- United States: the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) estimates that about 2.5 million adults (1%) meet the criteria for severe gambling problems in a given year, and another 5 to 8 million (2% to 3%) meet one or more of the criteria. It puts the yearly social cost of problem gambling at $14 billion.
- Great Britain: 2.4% of adults scored 8 or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) in the 2025 Gambling Survey for Great Britain, compared with 2.7% in 2024. The Gambling Commission describes the rate as stable over the three years of the survey.
If these numbers feel close to home, our free problem gambling test uses the same 9 PGSI questions, and our responsible gambling page lists free, confidential help. Our guide to gambling addiction covers the warning signs and treatment, and the gambling budget calculator helps you set a limit before you play.
Is gambling growing?
Yes, in both big regulated markets: US commercial gaming revenue rose 9.2% in 2025 and Great Britain’s gambling yield rose 7.3% in the year to March 2025. Online gambling is growing fastest, with US online casino revenue up 27.6% and British online yield up 13.1%, while traditional US casino revenue grew 2.3% to $50.94 billion.
Gambling Statistics FAQ
How much money do Americans gamble each year?
Americans bet $166.94 billion with legal sportsbooks in 2025, and US commercial casinos, sportsbooks and online casinos kept $78.72 billion from players in total. There is no official figure for the total amount bet on casino games, so revenue is the standard measure.
What percentage of people gamble?
In Great Britain, 47% of adults gambled in the past 4 weeks in 2025, or 27% if you leave out people who only played the lottery. In the US, 22% of adults bet on sports in the past year (Pew, 2025).
What percentage of people have a gambling problem?
About 1% of US adults have severe gambling problems in a given year (NCPG estimate), and 2.4% of adults in Great Britain scored as problem gamblers on the PGSI in 2025. Worldwide, the Lancet Public Health Commission estimates about 80 million adults.
How much tax does gambling raise in the US?
A record $18.09 billion in 2025, up 15.1%, according to the AGA: $11.33 billion from traditional casinos, $3.71 billion from sports betting and $2.59 billion from online casinos. Players who win pay tax too; our gambling winnings tax calculator estimates it.
How often are these gambling statistics updated?
Each source publishes once a year: the AGA’s full-year US figures in February, the Gambling Commission’s industry statistics in November and its Gambling Survey for Great Britain in July. We update this page when a new yearly report comes out.
How we checked this
- US 2025 revenue, handle and taxes: AGA release on PR Newswire (26 February 2026) and Yogonet (27 February 2026). Revised total: InfoPlay (13 May 2026) and G3 Newswire.
- Great Britain gambling yield: Gambling Commission industry statistics (25 November 2025) and Intergame (26 November 2025).
- Gambling Survey for Great Britain 2025: Gambling Commission (16 July 2026) and Behavioral Healthcare Network (16 July 2026).
- US sports betting participation and opinion: Pew Research Center (2 October 2025) and Covers (3 October 2025).
- States with legal sports betting: Fox Sports (May 2026) and DeucesCracked (July 2026).
- US problem gambling estimates (the NCPG’s own): NCPG, March 2025 and the NCPG problem gambling fact sheet.
- Worldwide figures: University of Glasgow (25 October 2024) and Monash University, both on the Lancet Public Health Commission on gambling.
- Our own sums: US online casino share ($10.74 billion of $78.72 billion), British online share (£7.8 billion of £16.8 billion) and sportsbook hold ($16.96 billion of $166.94 billion).
- Figures last checked: 31 October 2026.
Last checked: 31 October 2026, when we checked each figure on this page against at least two sources (the NCPG estimates against two NCPG publications).
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