Editor-In-Chief with 20 years experience covering the betting angles to breaking news stories. Daily slots player, Portsmouth fan and League Snooker Player
However, with the rising cost of pretty much everything only rising further, the decision to get dressed up and get a taxi into the nearest town or city centre is becoming less appealing and suddenly a trip to the casino has lost its sparkle.
Key Findings:
43% of Brits say they’ve never been to a physical casino
One in Five respondents said they wouldn’t feel confident asking the rules of a game in a casino
30% of Brits said they gamble between 1-5 times a week
Over 1 in 5 Brits spend £11-£20 per month on gambling
Then again, that does not mean that the casino environment is being ignored and with bookmakers and igaming operators offering that same wide range of tables or games and still plenty more from the comfort of your own home, a night out can now very easily become a night in.
No need to get dressed up in your weekend best, instead you can sit in your pj’s and have a cup of tea while trying your luck at the roulette wheel or the blackjack table and with behaviours changing, it is time to see just how much they have changed.
The way to do so is by carrying out a survey and with 2,000 people first asked:
Have you ever been to a physical casino?
| Answer | % | Count |
|---|---|---|
Yes | 55% | 1090 |
No | 43% | 857 |
Can’t remember | 3% | 53 |
Of the 2,000 surveyed in the panel, 55% of them replied that they have been to a casino venue. 1,090 people in total have played baccarat, poker or anything else that is available in a physical casino, 43% of those answered have not.
Interestingly enough, 3% of those sampled could not remember whether they have been to a casino or not. The reason for this answer could differ in fairness, it could be that it was so long ago or that the memory is clouded further by too much alcohol being consumed.
🎰 The Casino Craze: Over Half of Us Have Tried Our Luck! 🍀
We can also split out the same data from an age point of view:
First, here is the age split of all those asked the opening question:
| Age | % | Count |
|---|---|---|
18 to 24 | 11% | 218 |
25 to 34 | 16% | 321 |
35 to 44 | 17% | 335 |
45 to 54 | 17% | 342 |
55 to 64 | 17% | 330 |
65 and over | 23% | 454 |
And here is the data regarding whether they have attended a physical casino or not:
| Answer | Total | 18-24 | 25-34 | 34-44 | 45-54 | 44-64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | 55% | 56% | 56% | 57% | 54% | 53% | 52% |
1090 | 122 | 181 | 192 | 184 | 174 | 237 | |
No | 43% | 39% | 40% | 41% | 45% | 45% | 45% |
857 | 85 | 129 | 136 | 153 | 149 | 205 | |
Can’t remember | 3% | 5% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 3% |
53 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
Here we can see that 56% of all people aged 18-24 that said that they have visited a physical casino said Yes. This is the same percentage of attendance of all the people aged 25-34 that were asked the same question.
In fact, for each of the age groups in the survey, all of them recorded more than 50% in terms of that age bracket visiting a physical casino and all these percentages figures are greater than for those who answered No.
For those that answered No, the highest percentage of non-attendee is shared between 45-54, 55-64 and 65 and over. Each of these three groups recorded 45% of the age relevant sample in terms of not visiting a physical casino.
🎲 Across All Ages, We're Rolling the Dice! 🎰
Now that we know how many people are going to casinos and their age groups, it is time to find out the confidence rating of how they feel when being there:
This means that the 1,090 people who said yes, where then asked:
How confident or unconfident do you feel about how things work in a physical casino?
| Confidence level | % | Count |
|---|---|---|
Very confident | 13% | 145 |
Quite confident | 31% | 335 |
Neutral | 20% | 221 |
Quite unconfident | 23% | 253 |
Very unconfident | 12% | 136 |
Only 13% of the 1,090 asked felt that there were very confident regarding how things work in a physical casino. However, 31% of the same sample felt that they were quite confident and had a decent understanding of how it all worked.
However when adding the percentages of neutral confidence and below, 55% of those sampled would fall into the three remaining categories. Therefore, the split between confident and neutral or non-understanding was only 45% of those asked would consider themselves confident in some form.
🎲 Casino Savvy: Where Do You Stand? 🤔
Those same 1,090 people were then asked:
When was the last time you went to a physical casino to play?
| Time | % | Count |
|---|---|---|
Less than six months ago | 12% | 126 |
6-11 months | 12% | 134 |
12-17 months | 8% | 83 |
18-23 months | 5% | 52 |
2-3 years | 9% | 99 |
4-5 years | 8% | 92 |
6-7 years | 6% | 67 |
8-9 years | 4% | 40 |
Over 10 years ago | 32% | 351 |
Not sure / can’t remember | 4% | 46 |
Somewhat surprisingly, 32% of this group of people have not been to a physical casino in 10 years or more. A figure that arguably ties into the change of behaviour when it comes to using online casino facilities instead.
At the same time, a combined 24% of the 1,090 person sample had visited a physical casino in the past year (0-11 months) and therefore, this would suggest that there is still some form of appetite for an actual night out at the roulette wheel.
🎰 Betting on the Past: Casino Visits Reflect Shifting Habits 🌐
Next, the sample was opened back up to all 2,000 people that were originally involved and they were asked:
If you went to a casino, how comfortable or uncomfortable would you feel asking someone for the rules of a game which you didn’t know how to play?
| Confidence level | % | Count |
|---|---|---|
Very confident | 10% | 199 |
Fairly confident | 22% | 440 |
Neutral | 18% | 362 |
Fairly unconfident | 20% | 400 |
Very unconfident | 22% | 447 |
Not sure | 8% | 152 |
There was an element of polarisation with this question as although 22% of those asked would consider themselves confident enough to ask for help in a casino if required, the same percentage would consider themselves very unconfident.
While 18% would find themselves neither confident or unconfident in the same situation. A decrease of 4% when compared to the two highest ranking metrics but still 8% higher than the 10% of people who would consider themselves very confident.
🎲 Confidence Divide: Navigating Casino Comfort Zones 🤔
Those same 2,000 people were then asked:
If you went to a casino and needed to ask someone for the rules of a game, who of the following would you be most likely to ask?
| Who | % | Count |
|---|---|---|
A croupier | 34% | 670 |
A stranger playing the game | 14% | 286 |
A member of staff on the door | 9% | 173 |
A member of the bar staff | 8% | 153 |
A bouncer at the casino | 3% | 57 |
None of the above | 9% | 182 |
Not sure | 24% | 479 |
Here we can see that although 34% of those sampled would ask a croupier to find out the rules of roulette, say, 24% would be unsure who to ask. This suggests that a lack of knowledge on how to play may also stop people from setting foot in a physical casino.
At the same time, there is a sense of finding out together and this is reflected by the 14% of those sampled that would simply ask a stranger playing the same game – a strategy that could be high risk but it could also be high reward.
🎲 Casino Insights: Who Do You Turn to When You Roll the Dice? 🤷♂️
Now we know the confidence levels of those either entering or staying away from a casino, the next step is to get an idea of gambling habits as a whole and to do so, we asked:
How many times a month do you typically gamble? (Please consider all forms of gambling e.g. bets, scratch cards, lottery)
| Frequency | % | Count |
|---|---|---|
0 | 39% | 772 |
1-5 | 31% | 617 |
6-10 | 11% | 226 |
11-15 | 5% | 104 |
16-20 | 4% | 71 |
21-25 | 2% | 30 |
26+ | 2% | 47 |
Not sure | 5% | 100 |
Prefer not to say | 2% | 33 |
Here we can see that the highest recorded percentage was found in the zero amounts of gambling per month. 39% of the panel said that they did not undertake any form and that includes betting, scratch cards and lottery.
For those who do gamble, it was between 1 and 5 occasions in a month that ranked highest with 31% of the sample selecting this option and if you added up the percentages of all the other categories, they would also equal 31% as a whole (allowing for rounding of figures equalling 101% in total).
🎰 Betting Habits: Majority Opt Out Monthly 🚫
This means that for those that selected anywhere between 1 or 26+ as the amount of times that they gambled in a month (1,095 people in total), they were also asked:
How much do you typically spend on gambling/betting games per month?
| How Much | % | Count |
|---|---|---|
£0-I do not spend anything | 2% | 17 |
£1- £5 | 18% | 197 |
£6-10 | 16% | 171 |
£11-£20 | 22% | 245 |
£21-£40 | 13% | 143 |
£31-£40 | 6% | 68 |
£41-£50 | 7% | 78 |
£51-£70 | 3% | 35 |
£71-£100 | 5% | 53 |
£101+ | 5% | 60 |
Not sure | 2% | 21 |
Prefer not to say | 1% | 7 |
The highest percentage was recorded at 22% and this catered for those that spend between £11-£20 per month on all forms of gambling. This was 4% higher than the 18% of people who spend between £1-£5 by comparison.
The third highest bracket was found at £6-£10 with 16% of those polled selecting this option. This means that 56% of those polled would spend anywhere between £1 and £20 per month on gambling activity.
💷 Monthly Gambling Spend: Most Stick to a Budget 🎲
At the sharper end of the scale, 5% of those asked spent anywhere between £75-£100 on gambling per month. This would turn out to be the same percentage figure as those who would also spend £101 or more on the same activity.
We finished the survey by asking whether those involved were more predisposed to risk or not:
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “Life is more exciting when it’s spontaneous”?
View of Las Vegas strip by night // Fillonneau Florian/shutterstock| Opinion | % | Count |
|---|---|---|
Strongly agree | 14% | 285 |
Somewhat agree | 41% | 825 |
Neither agree nor disagree | 34% | 673 |
Somewhat disagree | 6% | 128 |
Strongly disagree | 4% | 89 |
Here it seems as if an element of thrill seeking when it comes to our panel of 2,000 people and with 41% of those asked agreeing with the statement above, it suggests that the casino environment may be the perfect place to find that level of spontaneity.
🎰 Thrill Seekers Unite: The Allure of the Casino Scene 🌟
Therefore, although visits to the casinos may seem like they are dwindling, there is still a healthy appetite when it comes to those who want to test their acumen among the bricks and mortar and it is not an appetite that will be shrinking anytime soon.
Methodology
Surveyed 2,000 UK adults in March 2024 using One Poll.
