Seven years after the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals was cut from £100 to £2, the machines still earn more than any other product in British betting shops. These FOBT statistics combine Gambling Commission machine counts, monthly operator data and HMRC duty receipts to show what the 2026 estate looks like and how the money changed after the cut. The full picture of high street closures is in our betting shops UK analysis.
The DCMS 2019 stake cut
On 17 May 2018 the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced that the maximum stake on FOBT machines, legally category B2 gaming machines, would fall from £100 to £2. The DCMS press release said the aim was to reduce the potential for large losses on these machines.
The change was made by the Gaming Machine (Miscellaneous Amendments and Revocation) Regulations 2018, which came into force on 1 April 2019. The same regulations kept B3 machines, which already had a £2 maximum stake and £500 maximum prize, legally distinct from B2.
Scotland has an extra lever. Since 23 May 2016 Scottish Ministers have had powers to vary the number of high-staking machines allowed in new betting premises, according to the same DCMS release.
The DCMS 2019 stake cut was also linked to public finances. The government said it would be offset by an increase in Remote Gaming Duty on online operators, a tax story picked up in our UK gambling industry statistics overview.
Betting shop gaming machines before and after
The Gambling Commission’s annual tables show how fast the estate changed. In 2018-19, the last full year before the cut, betting shops ran an average of 32,652 B2 machines that generated £1,152.8m of gross gambling yield (GGY), with another £671.5m from B3 machines.
In 2019-20 the B2 count collapsed to an average of 408 and B2 GGY to £6.7m, while B3 machines rose to 28,882. Total machine GGY in shops fell 41.0% in one year, from £1,826.1m to £1,077.2m (our calculation).
| Financial year | Machines in shops | Machine GGY (£m) |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 34,872 | 1,685.2 |
| 2017-18 | 33,726 | 1,834.0 |
| 2018-19 | 32,776 | 1,826.1 |
| 2019-20 | 29,291 | 1,077.2 |
| 2020-21 | 25,670 | 473.3 |
| 2022-23 | 23,989 | 1,233.6 |
| 2024-25 | 22,881 | 1,207.4 |
| 2025-26 (provisional) | 22,088 | 1,196.2 |
Machine counts are annual averages up to 2023-24 and quarter-end counts after that. The 2020-21 figure reflects Covid closures; quarterly movements are tracked in our UK gambling quarterly statistics article.
B3 machines UK shops run in 2026
Since 2024 the Commission reports all category B machines in betting shops together rather than splitting B2 and B3. At the end of March 2026 there were 22,088, all category B, down 3.5% on a year earlier.
That is 36.7% fewer machines than the 34,872 recorded in 2014-15 (our calculation). Yet yield per machine has recovered: 2025-26 GGY of £1,196.2m works out at about £54,157 per machine, close to the £55,716 per machine of 2018-19 (our calculations).
Key point: Fewer machines now earn almost as much each as before the £2 limit. Machine GGY in shops was £1,196.2m in 2025-26, about two-thirds of its 2017-18 level of £1,834.0m.
FOBT statistics month by month
The Commission also publishes monthly operator data from the largest retail bookmakers, covering about 90% of the retail betting market. In March 2026 these operators recorded 1,050,974,243 bets or spins on shop machines and machine GGY of £99.6m, against £98.6m in March 2025.
Across the twelve months from April 2025 to March 2026, machine GGY in this dataset added up to £1,107.3m (our calculation). Average GGY per bet or spin in March 2026 was about 9.5p (our calculation).
There were 7,908,399 machine sessions in March 2026, down from 8,148,063 a year earlier. Of those, 213,539 lasted an hour or more, 2.7% of all sessions (our calculation).
Machines vs counter betting and self-service betting terminals
Machines are now the biggest earner in shops. In March 2026 they produced £99.6m of GGY, against £45.9m from over-the-counter betting and £46.0m from self-service betting terminals (SSBT), giving machines 52.0% of the three products combined (our calculation).
Over-the-counter GGY was 21.6% lower than in March 2025, while SSBT GGY was 11.1% higher (our calculations). Betting yield swings with sporting results, so single months should be read with care.
The licensed numbers say nothing about unlicensed play, which the regulator tracks separately and which we cover in our guide to illegal gambling sites UK. Roulette-style games offered by offshore casinos without a Great Britain licence are also outside every figure in this article.
Machine Games Duty after the cut
Gaming machines pay Machine Games Duty (MGD) rather than betting duty. In 2026-27 the rates are 5% of net takings for low-stake machines, 20% where the cost to play cannot exceed £5 and 25% where it can.
The higher 25% band captured B2 machines when they took £100 stakes. HMRC data show higher-rate MGD liabilities of £432.7m in 2018-19, £31.4m in 2019-20 and just £0.6m in 2025-26.
| Financial year | Total MGD receipts (£m) |
|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 720.0 |
| 2019-20 | 509.7 |
| 2020-21 | 280.8 |
| 2024-25 | 609.2 |
| 2025-26 | 641.0 |
MGD covers machines everywhere, including arcades, pubs and bingo halls, not just betting shops. Standard-rate liabilities reached £630.5m in 2025-26, so total receipts are back above £600m even without high-stake machines.
What these figures do not cover
The monthly operator data cover about 90% of the retail market, so they are not totals. The annual Commission figures cover all licensed premises in Great Britain.
Neither dataset includes games offered by non-UK casino sites to British players. Those businesses file no returns with the Commission and pay no Machine Games Duty.
The same is true of European online casinos that hold no Commission licence. Online slots played with licensed operators are counted separately, in the remote casino figures, and have their own stake limits.
Duty receipts are UK-wide while Commission statistics cover Great Britain, so the two sources are not directly comparable. HMRC also revises recent MGD liabilities as late returns arrive.
FAQ: FOBTs and betting shop machines
Quick answers from official data.
What is the maximum stake on a FOBT?
£2 per spin since 1 April 2019, down from £100. The B2/B3 machines distinction remains in law, although the Commission now reports them together.
How many FOBTs are there in 2026?
Betting shops had 22,088 category B machines at the end of March 2026, according to the Gambling Commission.
How much do betting shop machines make?
£1,196.2m of GGY in 2025-26, provisional figures. That is more than half of shop GGY in the largest operators’ monthly data.
What is an SSBT?
A self-service betting terminal lets customers place sports bets in a shop without going to the counter. In March 2026 SSBTs produced £46.0m of GGY for the largest operators.
Machine counts and GGY are Gambling Commission figures for Great Britain; 2025-26 is provisional. Monthly operator data cover about 90% of the retail betting market to March 2026. Duty figures are HMRC UK receipts and liabilities. Percentages and per-machine values are our calculations.
- DCMS, Government to cut Fixed Odds Betting Terminals maximum stake from £100 to £2 (May 2018).
- legislation.gov.uk, Gaming Machine (Miscellaneous Amendments and Revocation) Regulations 2018.
- Gambling Commission, Industry statistics, April 2025 to March 2026 (xlsx), sheet 6d.
- Gambling Commission, Operator data, January to March 2026 (xlsx), betting premises tables.
- HMRC, UK betting and gaming statistics tables, July 2026 (ods), table 2a; Gambling Duty rates.
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