The UK gambling industry is poised for record-breaking user growth as major events like Euro 2024 and Royal Ascot converge. Recent analysis by app growth solutions company, SplitMetrics, reveals a significant surge in gambling app downloads, setting the stage for an unprecedented month in the industry.

In the week leading up to Euro 2024, Android gambling app downloads soared by 30% compared to the same period last year. Major horse racing events like The Grand National and Cheltenham have historically driven substantial increases in downloads, with average weekly downloads for the top 17 UK gambling apps rising from 79k to 124k and 143k, respectively, during these events.

The World Cup 2023 also saw a significant uptick, with 369k new downloads over the tournament period. This upward trend has continued into 2024, with the gambling industry experiencing a 30% increase in downloads year-over-year.

With both the Euros and Royal Ascot on the horizon, projections indicate that the UK gambling apps may register their highest monthly downloads ever. SplitMetrics’ data shows a 15% increase in downloads for the top 17 sports gambling apps in the two weeks leading up to Euro 2024 (3-16 June 2024), compared to the same period in 2023, jumping from 96k to 110k downloads.

Leading the download surge are popular apps such as bet365, Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Coral, and Ladbrokes. Overall, sports betting apps have reached an estimated 20 million lifetime downloads as of June 16, 2024, with approximately 2 million new users added in 2024 alone.

This robust growth underscores the increasing popularity of sports betting in the UK, setting the industry on a path for its largest year of growth, especially with the upcoming Olympics likely to further boost engagement and downloads.

The top five apps in terms of lifetime downloads are bet365, Sky Bet, Paddy Power, William Hill, and Ladbrokes, highlighting their dominant presence in the market.

The UK gambling industry continues to thrive, leveraging major sporting events to drive user engagement and growth, ensuring a dynamic and competitive market landscape.

Thomas Kriebernegg, General Manager, SplitMetrics Agency, said: “Our new study shows that major UK horse racing events lead to a dramatic increase in downloads for gambling apps – almost the same number per week as we see for huge global events like the World Cup.

“The combination of Royal Ascot, the Euros, and the high growth rate of the gambling app industry this year could combine into a perfect storm – generating unprecedented new customer numbers. With the Olympics also coming up, 2024 could easily become the biggest year for customer growth in the smartphone era.

“Each download represents a new user for these businesses which, if converted to long-term customers, would have a huge impact on their bottom line. An accessible and seamless user experience will be a big factor in whether these apps will be able to retain the new users and convert them into loyal customers.

“Big global events bring a lot of potential new customers to different parts of the app market but they also bring a lot of competition. Businesses that invest in smart, targeted marketing can differentiate themselves from their competitors. It’s also an opportunity for smaller businesses to punch above their weight and supercharge their growth.”