You’ve probably heard this claim floating around – that roulette is the king of casino games in Britain. Walk into any casino movie scene, and there’s usually someone in a tuxedo dramatically placing chips on red or black while the wheel spins. It’s become this iconic image of gambling, especially in the UK. But is it actually true?
I dug into the numbers, and the answer might surprise you.
The Short Answer: Not Even Close
Let me cut straight to the chase – roulette isn’t the most popular casino game in the UK anymore. Not by a long shot. The UK’s online gambling sector generated £6.9 billion in total revenue between April 2023 and March 2024. Of that £6.9 billion, £4.4 billion came from online casino games specifically – and £3.6 billion of that casino money came from slots alone.
Yeah, you read that right. Slots absolutely dominate the online casino scene, pulling in roughly 82% of all online casino revenue. That’s not “slightly more popular” – that’s a complete landslide.
But here’s where it gets interesting. The story changes depending on where you’re playing.
The Great Divide: Online vs Land-Based
I spoke to industry expert Otto from Roulette UK and he said: “Online, it’s not even a contest. Pretty much all of the best casino sites in the UK will have more online slots than any other form of game. This is for one reason: they’re by far the most popular type of online casino game in the UK.”
The numbers back this up completely. Slots GGY increased 11 percent to £689 million YoY. The number of spins increased 6 percent to 23.4 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q4 increased 6 percent to 4.5 million per month, a new peak for this data set.
That’s 23.4 billion spins in just one quarter. To put that in perspective, that’s about 3,000 slot spins for every person in the UK every three months.
But walk into a physical casino, and roulette still holds its ground. Roulette and blackjack are also predictably popular in brick-and-mortar venues, accounting for 29.37% and 14.46% of non-remote casino revenues respectively in 2023.
So roulette is still the biggest single game in physical casinos, but even there, it’s losing ground to gaming machines.
The Inconvenient Truth About Physical Casinos
Here’s something that might shock traditional casino fans: As of 2018, both slots and electronic gaming machines had actually overtaken blackjack in terms of GGY, and it has stayed that way ever since, meaning that only roulette brings in more money for high street casinos.
But even roulette’s dominance in physical venues is slipping. While roulette took 81% more than gaming machines in revenue pre-covid, that figure is down to 47% as of 2023, and they only take around 18% more than slots.
The trend is pretty clear – people are gravitating toward machines, whether it’s online slots or electronic gaming machines in casinos.
Why Everyone Still Thinks Roulette Rules
So if roulette isn’t actually the most popular game, why does everyone think it is? A few reasons:
Cultural Legacy: Roulette has this romantic, sophisticated image. It’s been the poster child for casino glamour since Monte Carlo became a thing in the 1800s. When the German government abolished gambling in the 1860s, the Blanc family moved to the last legal remaining casino operation in Europe at Monte Carlo, where they established a gambling mecca for the elite of Europe.
Media Representation: Every casino movie features roulette. It’s visually dramatic – the spinning wheel, the bouncing ball, the tension. Slots… less so. Hard to build a movie scene around someone pressing a button repeatedly.
Live Casino Renaissance: Live Roulette, particularly Lightning Roulette, is extremely popular among UK players due to its fast pace and the addition of random multipliers that can boost winnings. The live dealer trend has given roulette a second wind, especially online.
Social Element: Roulette tables bring people together. You’re all betting against the house, celebrating wins together, commiserating over losses. Slots are a solo activity.
The Real Casino Hierarchy
If we’re ranking by actual popularity (meaning revenue and participation), here’s what the UK casino landscape actually looks like:
Online Casino Games:
- Slots (dominates with ~82% of revenue)
- Live dealer games (includes roulette, blackjack, baccarat)
- Table games (traditional versions)
- Other games (poker, bingo, specialty games)
Physical Casinos:
- Gaming machines/slots (growing fast)
- Roulette (still #1 table game but declining)
- Blackjack
- Other table games
Overall Gambling Market: Wait for it… sports betting emerged as the largest revenue-generating segment, accounting for 56.64% of the market share—making it both the largest and fastest-growing segment in the forecast period.
So technically, if someone asks “what’s the most popular form of gambling in the UK,” the answer is football bets, not casino games at all.
The Pandemic Effect
COVID really accelerated trends that were already happening. Online casino gaming has become a significant part of UK entertainment, with 37.4 million active gambling accounts as of 2025. This is a 24.1% increase from pre-COVID levels.
When physical casinos closed, people discovered online gambling. And when they tried online casinos, they found slots, not roulette wheels. The convenience stuck even after lockdowns ended.
Live Casino: Roulette’s Comeback Attempt
Fair play to roulette – it’s fighting back. The UK audience has developed a strong affinity for certain live casino games, each providing its own unique excitement… Live Roulette, particularly Lightning Roulette, is extremely popular among UK players due to its fast pace and the addition of random multipliers that can boost winnings.
Live dealer roulette bridges the gap between online convenience and the social buzz of a real casino. You get the atmosphere without having to put on pants and travel to an actual casino.
But even with this renaissance, it’s not enough to compete with the slot machine juggernaut.
The Bigger Picture
Here’s what’s really interesting – Online gambling now represents over 50% of overall gambling revenues, showing the industry’s digital transformation.
The entire gambling landscape has shifted online, and online heavily favors slots. Physical casinos are still important, but they’re not where the growth is happening.
Even in the live casino space, games like Dream Catcher, Crazy Time, and Monopoly Live have gained massive followings due to their fun, fast-paced, and engaging formats. These game show-style offerings are competing with traditional table games for attention.
What This Means for You as a Player
If you’re a roulette fan, don’t despair. The game isn’t going anywhere. Roulette is by far the most popular gambling game at casinos that does not rely purely on luck – wait, that quote got cut off, but the point stands.
Roulette still has several advantages:
Better Odds: European (not American) roulette 2.7%. Online slots vary, but average 4-5%. If you’re playing to actually win money rather than just for entertainment, roulette gives you better mathematical odds.
Social Experience: Especially in live dealer versions, you get that communal casino vibe.
Strategy Element: While it’s ultimately a game of chance, there’s more tactical thinking involved than slots.
Lower House Edge: The casino’s advantage is smaller with roulette than most slot games.
The Verdict
So, is roulette really the most popular casino game in the UK? Absolutely not. That crown belongs to slots, and it’s not even competitive.
Roulette might be the most iconic casino game, the most cinematic casino game, or the most traditional casino game. It’s definitely still popular, especially in physical casinos and live dealer formats. But most popular overall? The numbers don’t lie.
The number of spins increased 12 percent in the quarter to a new peak of 22 billion, while the number of average monthly active accounts increased 7 percent to 4.2 million. When one type of game generates 22 billion actions in three months while pulling in 82% of casino revenue, that’s your real champion.
The gambling world has changed. Mobile phones, online platforms, and the convenience culture have shifted preferences toward quick, accessible games. Roulette is holding its ground better than games like craps or baccarat, but the slots revolution has been decisive.
Maybe it’s time to update those casino movie stereotypes. Instead of the sophisticated gambler in the tuxedo at the roulette table, perhaps we should picture someone in sweatpants playing Starburst on their phone while binge-watching Netflix.
Less glamorous? Sure. But that’s where the real action is these days.
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