Most Popular Casino Games in the UK

Most Popular Casino Games In The UK: What Do Brits Play?

11 min

Ever wondered which casino games are the most popular among British punters? Well, you might be surprised to find out that the preferences differ according to region. Here, we delve into the most appreciated casino games across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, exploring their unique features, variations, and strategies that can boost your winning odds. Stay tuned to find out what the most popular games across the UK are!

Game Type GGY percentage Device
Slot games Game 72.5% Mobile
Roulette Live Dealer 13.2% Mobile
Blackjack Live Dealer 4.9% Laptop/PC

To start off the presentation, we shortened the theme into a few simple characteristics. We identified the main types, and the most played subtypes in the category. Then we presented the value of the Yield it brings to the market. Lastly, we showed what the preferred device to play the games on.

Most Popular Casino Games in England

You might think that we will talk about slots, and we will do it in a different section. British gamblers take much interest in multi-line slot games but also in roulette, blackjack, and baccarat. Tourism is the main thing that made Baccarat the leader of England’s most popular casino game.

Although the games come from Italy, most of its fans are Asians. In 2017 and 2018, there was an outgrowing number of Chinese tourists that visited the UK, especially London. It is unknown how many gambled, but the overall revenue of Baccarat in 2018 was £138.7 million.

Baccarat Characteristics

  • Baccarat is a card game with simple rules
  • A baccarat table usually has 7 seats and the “banker”
  • You win the hand if yours is the closest to nine
  • Cards from 2 to 9 have their value; the cards above 10=0 and the Ace is 1
  • You have to decide who you’re betting on before the dealer gives the players their cards

Most Americans call Baccarat “Punto Banco” because the game was introduced on the continent by the Southern part, and they translated the name.

Online vs Live: Where Is It Best to Play Baccarat

Variant Online In-person
No of players at a single table 7 1-10
Croupiers 1 2-3
Cards Faced down Faced up
Game’s rules Standard rules Standard rules
Best place to play Baccarat in England William Hill Casino Hippodrome Casino

Baccarat has some of the straightforward rules, so there are no significant differences between the online and in-person versions. Still, online casinos have more dealers with a lower waiting time.

The atmosphere is the first and most apparent change. You can interact with people in a land-based casino without playing the game. Online casinos have specific chats for each table, which you can discuss with the croupier and other players.

The etiquette is also crucial; for example, in land-based casinos, tipping the croupier and not touching the cards are two unwritten rules. However, Hippodrome and other top-tier casinos allow you to touch and turn over your cards if you wish to do that.

The house edge of Baccarat depends on the bet type more than the type of casino you wager. The banker bet is around 1.1%, 1.24% on the Player bet, and a tie will get 14.40% for the casino. Online Baccarat casinos will display a broader range of minimum and maximum bets. Usually, each table has a different starting sum.

Variants of the Most Popular Casino Game in England

Variant Traditional Commission-Free
Player 1:1 1:1
Banker* 0.95:1 1:1
Banker when the hand is 6 No Data 0.5

Commission-free Variant

  • The main difference between traditional and commission-free Baccarat is how the House gets its payout.
  • Fast-paying hands occur 1.9 times or more in No-Commission Baccarat, and this brings an increase of approximately 35%.

The exception of this 5% rule is put in place when the Banker wins with a hand with the value of 6. This happens 1/19 hands on average, and when it happens, the Banker’s commission rises to 50%.

Traditional Variant

  • The table’s dealer takes a 5% commission for every won wager on the Banker
  • Around 45% of hands are fast-paying

Verdict

  • Main advantage: the house edge
  • Main disadvantage: high-roller stakes at land-based casinos
  • It’s famous for its simplicity
  • High-rollers gamblers and people who want to learn a gambling game fast are the two most interesting categories
  • Casino Alpha specialists assume a 10-15% increase in Baccarat revenues in England until 2024

Casino Games in Scotland – The Top Ranks

Most Popular Casino Game in Scotland

According to our gambling specialists, Scottish gamblers engage more in roulette betting than blackjack. The data shows an increased interest in European roulette in online casinos.

Roulette Characteristics

  • The game involves a roulette wheel, a betting table, and a small white ball
  • Usual the tables can accommodate between 1-6 players
  • You need to pay attention to what variant you’re playing
  • You can place multiple bets on both numbers, and colours
  • Roulette high stakes is a high-roller casino game, so don’t engage if your finances are not enough

Online vs Offline: Where Is It Best to Play Roulette

Numerous Scottish gamblers chose to gamble online and offline at Grosvenor. The casino became popular because it has over 60 Live Dealer Tables.

The brand thought about a membership plan for both online and offline facilities. Their online bet range for their 17 Live Dealer Roulette tables is £1- £2000.

Top Three Variants of the Most Popular Casino Game in Scotland

Although Scottish gamblers can choose between three variants of Roulette, more than half will choose the European variant. Let’s understand why!

American Roulette

  • 38 pockets, 2 green with the numbers 0 and 00, and another 36 with numbers from 1 to 36 coloured in red or black.
  • The house edge in American Roulette is 5.26%.

European Roulette

  • It contains one green pocket with the number 0 and 36 other numbered pockets that are either red or black
  • European roulette has a house edge of 2.7%, which is considered better by gamblers
  • It has a lower house edge and better-winning chances

20p Roulette

  • Players can bet 20p on a specific number or corner.
  • You can’t place a 20p bet on colour wagers or Odd or Even
  • Neighbour bets are the most popular bet at a 20p Roulette

£1 Neighbour bet

You place a £1 stake that will be separated into five 20p bets. The first 20p will go to the number you choose, and the other 80p to the nearest two red and black values.

Verdict

  • Main advantage: accessible and easy to find in online and offline casinos
  • Main disadvantage: the minimum bet is higher than other casino games
  • It became popular in Frace over 2 centuries ago and remained because of its elegance
  • High-rollers are the target audience
  • Roulette casinos will never get out of style, and it will constantly be seen as a worldwide popular game

Wales Casino Games

Most Popular Casino Game in Wales

At the begging of 2020, land-based casinos in Wales and other British countries recorded a drop of over 85% in income. At the same time, Welsh punters started considering betting on legal online gambling casinos.

They started playing live casino blackjack on reputable remote websites and increased their GGY by 22%.

Blackjack Characteristics

  • Single-deck card game commonly played with a standard deck of 2 cards
  • Usually 2-7 players at land-based tables
  • This game pays 3:2 of the bet
  • A natural blackjack is when your first hand has a 10 and an Ace
  • In case you have two Aces, you have to go for a split.

An intresting fact is that the longest blackjack game lasted 51 hours and 33 minutes.

Online vs Live: Where Is It Best to Play Blackjack?

Data shows that younger generations, such as Welsh millennials, will choose to play blackjack on their phones, while older gamblers will go to land-based casinos. Other statistics talk about online blackjack being more popular due to convenience, and Welsh punters tend to prefer it regarding age.

Top online casinos usually have over 20 blackjack tables with minimum stakes and variants. Offline casinos can have anywhere between 5-50 tables, depending on how grand the avenue is.

Top Two Variants of the Most Popular Casino Game in Wales

The most widely known version in the UK are the Doubling After Spitting and 6 to 5 Blackjack.

Doubling After Spitting

The player will choose to double down on a hand after they just split. This playing strategy is advantageous for gamblers; some land-based casinos don’t allow it.

6 to 5 Blackjack

Some casinos reduce the rule of 3 to 2 payout to 6 to 5. Unlike the first one, this gives the House an advantage and makes the card-counting method superfluous.

Verdict

  • Main advantage: a simple mathematical game where Welsh gamblers use numerous strategies and player guides
  • Main disadvantage: some variants have a higher (or progressive higher) house edge
  • It’s mostly popular in Europe and North America
  • The game does not have a targeted audience; everyone can try it
  • The Blackjack industry GGY will double until 2025

Favourite Northern Ireland Casino Games

Most Popular Casino Game in Northern Ireland

Gamblers in this area play roulette, slots, and Bingo the most. As we’ve discussed roulette, and the indicators are similar, we will give Nothern Irish people their bingo credits. Due to its popularity, the government decided that in 2022 is where the history of Sunday bingo nights would change.

The longest blackjack game lasted 51 hours and 33 minutes. Since 1985, bingo halls have been open only on Sunday nights, and since this April, they can legally work 7 days. This adjustment increased the game’s popularity by another 2%.

Bingo Characteristics

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  • The game has a special marker, and paper sheets with numbers and balls.
  • There is no limit to online bingo players, and lad-based bingo venues can accommodate more than 60 players at once
  • You have to be fast and cover as many of the 24 numbers as possible
  • You can win by marking a complete horizontal, vertical or diagonal bingo line
  • Be aware that bingo rules change depending on the region

Online vs Live: Where Is It Best to Play Bingo

If you are more social and enjoy chit-chat, you might want to try live Bingo. Although British people are friendly, statistics show that 78% of the Nothern Irish bingo bettors play it online, and 72% of them have multiple accounts on different bookies platforms.

Verdict

  • Main advantage: many people can play Bingo at once
  • Main disadvantage: it can become overwhelming if you are not a fast person
  • It’s popular among older generations (players above the age of 40)
  • Who is the target audience for this game
  • Bingo in the UK brings revenue of almost £1 billion

Casino Card Games in the UK

Most Popular Casino Card Games in the UK

Even if we are talking about each country and the players’ preferences, the UK’s most popular casino card games are mostly the same for the whole region.

Baccarat

  • Mini-baccarat is the most popular baccarat version
  • UK gamblers bet on it because they have only three betting choices
  • Betting on a tie between the banker and the player pays out 8-to-1
  • Some English land-based casinos offer a Lower Commission Baccarat, from 5% to 4%

Blackjack

  • Your chances of getting a Natural blackjack are 4.8% (1 in 21 blackjack hands)
  • Counting cards in Blackjack in the UK is not considered illegal
  • 16 is considered by many British gamblers “the cursed hand” because it is too far to win but close enough to exceed 21

Online & Land-based Slot Games in the UK

Most Popular Slot Games in the UK

Slot Name Reels & Paylines RTP Features Theme Max Win
Mega Moolah 5 reels, 25 paylines 93.42% – Standard bonus round: 15 free spins with 3x multiplier
– Holds world record for the top three biggest winnings on an online slot
Safari/Africa Progressive Jackpot
Starburst 5 reels, 10 paylines 96.01% – Stakes range from £0.10 to £100
– Maximum win of 500x the stake per spin
Gem-themed 500x Stake
Book of Dead 5 reels, 10 paylines 96.21% – Offers special free spins bonuses
– High volatility with potential for big wins
Ancient Egypt High Payouts

Most online casinos offer special free spins bonuses for these games. Some of them are offered exclusively for these slots, while other can be played on multiple titles. For a better experience, we recommend looking for promotions with low wagering while trying these out.

Did you know that the English gambling industry rules betting trends and features? So, there is no surprise that the most popular casino games in the UK are slot games and roulette. People gamble about £5.6 billion per year on the most popular casino games in the UK and £2 billion on casino online slots alone.

Studies from Wales and Northern Ireland describe that around 50% of adults engaged in gambling in 2015, and by 2020 the percentage dropped by 8-9%.

Other statistics from 2021 display that 22% of English gamblers choose the Lottery as their main gambling activity. 14% bet on the National Lottery, and the other 8% pick other legal lotteries. Although this is the leading betting interest, we will exclude it from this article, as we will focus only on the most popular casino games.

Popularity Highlights

Although British gamblers engage in sports betting and Lottery much more than in casino betting, their games of luck tastes are almost similar. Differences between the most popular games in each country are below 7%, and people’s interest in slot games has a maximum difference of 2%.

Authors
Anca Iamandi
AuthorAnca IamandiSenior Author & Editor at CasinoAlpha

Anca's analytic skills developed in Generative Linguistics allow her to bring you clear and concise gambling-related content. Her texts will help you understand casinos, bonuses, fees, and rules and forget about all the gambling myths that pull you down. She's a strong advocate of safe gambling.

Adina Minculescu
ReviewerAdina MinculescuSenior Author & Editor at CasinoAlpha

Adina’s analytical way of thinking is what gamblers need to understand the casino market. With her expertise in this niche combined with her studies in linguistic typology and hermeneutics, you will get the essential help to make informed financial decisions. Let her be your reliable guide!