Nationwide Building Society has reported a 9% year-on-year increase in the total value of customers’ gambling expenditures during January. The number of gambling-related transactions rose 7%, according to data released by the lender on Friday.
The data, citing answers from a sample of 2000 UK gamblers, also revealed that the top 10% of spenders wagered an average of approximately £745 per month.
Conducted by Censuswide for Nationwide, the survey further highlighted that 68% of current gamblers anticipate increasing their betting activities in 2026, driven by an active calendar of major sporting events.
The men’s Fifa World Cup is expected to drive 59% of this activity, while the Champions League and Champions League final (34% and 30% respectively) and Royal Ascot (20%) were also cited as the top sporting events for betting activity this year.
