YouGov - Looking at the UK Online Poker Scene, including PokerStars & Sky Poker

Tikay10

https://business.yougov.com/content/51374-growing-interest-in-online-poker-a-comprehensive-analysis

Tikay10

Online poker is rapidly growing in popularity, reflecting a broader shift toward digital gambling. In the UK, participation has steadily increased, from 5% in 2021 to 10% in 2024. But who are these players, how much are they wagering, and where do they play? Let’s break down the data.

Who’s Playing?

The demographic breakdown of online poker players reveals that the majority belong to the 35-54 age group, making up 44% of the total player base.

Younger players aged 18-34 account for 43%, showing that online poker appeals to a digitally savvy audience eager for interactive and competitive experiences. This is much higher than the share this age group accounts for in other online gambling activities such as betting on sports online (23%), the lottery (18%) or playing casino games online (33%).

The data also highlights a substantial gender disparity. Globally, 75% of online poker players are male, compared to 25% female. This imbalance is consistent with broader trends in gambling participation, where men typically outnumber women in both frequency and spending.

How Much Do They Stake?

A majority (57%) spend between £1 and £100 per month. Around 28% spend between £101 and £500, while 15% exceed £500 in monthly wagers. It is worth noting that online poker players feature a higher share of £500+ gamblers compared to online sports bettors (4%), and online casino slots gamers (11%).

Where Are They Playing?

When it comes to platform preferences, established brands dominate the online poker space. PokerStars leads the market in the UK, with 16% of players opting for it. Sky Poker and 888 Poker follow closely, each attracting 15% of players each. Bet365, another trusted platform, accounts for 14%, while William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Paddy Power capture smaller but notable shares of the market. These preferences highlight the importance of reputation, reliability, and engaging features in retaining a loyal player base.

What Do Gamblers Value?

Insights into gambler behaviour shed light on what drives their platform choices and overall participation. Promotions rank highly, with 65% of players actively seeking sites offering free bets or other incentives. Experimentation also plays a role, as 49% of gamblers express interest in trying new platforms. This suggests that while loyalty is important, players are willing to explore alternatives that promise better deals or features.

Loyalty programs remain a key consideration, with 52% of players preferring sites that reward repeat usage. Sponsorships are another factor, with 53% of gamblers noticing when platforms sponsor sports, events, or TV shows they follow. Such branding efforts can strengthen player trust and increase visibility in a competitive market.

Not all gambling takes place on formal platforms. Informal gambling activities, such as betting with friends or family on sports or participating in sweepstakes, remain popular. Around 39% of players reported engaging in these social forms of gambling over the past year, showing that the communal aspect of gambling persists even in the digital age.

Conclusion

Online poker’s growing popularity stems from its ability to attract a broad audience, particularly among those aged 18-34. Supported by diverse spending habits and preferences for trusted platforms like PokerStars and 888 Poker, the game continues to thrive. Players’ strong focus on promotions, loyalty programs, and platform reliability further highlight the evolving expectations of this dynamic market.

As online poker continues to expand, operators must innovate to maintain their appeal in an increasingly competitive industry. By understanding the demographics, spending habits, and preferences of their players, platforms can position themselves for sustained success in this fast-growing space.

gogogadget

Very interesting and goes against the “demise” quoted by others in the forum. Also surprising to hear that sky is very close to Stars in terms of player preference, great news if true and news that hopefully will see Sky sticking around for many years yet.

Would be good to hear your views on the report @Tikay10

rabdeniro

"Online poker is rapidly growing in popularity" who would have thought that, if you were to listen to all the doomsayers it would be "gemes a bogey".

luke_inc

I regularly do surveys for Yougov and the first question on almost all the surveys is "What did you do last weekend?" Played poker is one of a number of answers you can pick. I click it everytime 😂

Bean81

I hate questions about "how much do you stake?" as it relates to poker. For tournament players only, it can make some sense. The worry with questions and answers like this as they pertain to poker is that a clueless government official or do-gooder will see those numbers and think a lot of people have a problem. ROI is the only thing that matters here. At least this is better than questions around how much you spend on gambling - the answer is most regular players make some money.

Sky Poker is almost certainly miles away from Stars on rake generated by UK players, but i suppose its possible with the link to Sky Bet that there are a lot of players playing a few hands or a tournament now and then on Sky.

Thanks for sharing, Tikay.

kapowblamz

I wonder where they got their data? GG not mentioned at all, which must be some sort of oversight or they're not disclosing. Also of note, Sky and Stars have almost the same amount of UK players. That seems, to me, wildly off.

EDIT: I suppose Sky has lots of crossover from their other products where as Stars is more for the dedicated poker enthusiast which probably makes the numbers come out like this.

Mayhem357

Certainly in my mind Sky has become quieter since I joined in 2010. I looked at some of the MTT fields vs now and they were bigger and DYMs were much, much more popular. I would hate for Sky to go anywhere personnally, it's a good site and I came from Stars originally and enjoy it here much more. I do also miss Sky Poker TV with Tikay, Anna and a few others.

roddersith

Sky poker should do some shows on youtube to promote the site

wynne1938

I think they should have live TV tournaments like the had in the past
This was very enjoyable

Dozza

wynne1938 said:

I think they should have live TV tournaments like the had in the past
This was very enjoyable

Then @WeAreOnTV can return to the site, he had to leave because his username no longer made sense after they closed down the channel.

Dozza

Mayhem357 said:

Certainly in my mind Sky has become quieter since I joined in 2010. I looked at some of the MTT fields vs now and they were bigger and DYMs were much, much more popular. I would hate for Sky to go anywhere personnally, it's a good site and I came from Stars originally and enjoy it here much more. I do also miss Sky Poker TV with Tikay, Anna and a few others.

We did seem to lose quite a few DYM regs once the turbo DYMs were introduced - most notably @jimifloyd among others. It probably had something to do with increased variance for the turbo format, whereas with the longer DYM formats you could afford to be patient and let the recs take each other on and knock each other out - essentially they did most of the "dirty work" for you.

Dozza

Further growth in online poker will depend on the macroeconomic conditions imo - if the UK were to enter a recession soon (some think possible in 2025) then some people will have much less disposable income if jobs are lost and will have to give up activities which involve gambling (like poker).