Online Casino Statistics, Facts & Figures (Updated 2024)

A curated list of up-to-date online casino statistics

Are you curious about the state of online casinos in 2023? Looking for some data to impress your readers, or win an argument from a fellow player? You’re in the right place.

Online Gambling Facts & Statistics

The influence that online gambling has had in an activity that is thousands of years old is almost unquestionable. More and more people visit the world’s ever-growing online casino industry as time passes, with hundreds of new sites being opened by operators world-wide every year. Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting online gambling facts that current research has allowed us to access:

Online Gambling Averages Around 10% Growth Per Year

Online gambling has an expected growth rate of 9.2% to 10.4% per year, where the global online gambling market is expected to be valued at around $114 billion by 2028 – even when taking into consideration the Ukraine-Russia War.

There are Over 3,000 Online Casinos Worldwide

According to a report published by the National Center for Responsible Gambling, there are over 3,000 active online casinos worldwide and the number continues to raise as years go by.

Gamblers Prefer to Play on Mobile Devices

In 2020, mobile phones became the most popular way to access online casinos with 50% of global gamblers surveyed reporting to play on mobile (6% increase), while computer-based gambling dropped to 40% (4% decrease) and gambling from tablets rose to 18% from 16% in 2019.

Sports Betting is the Most Popular Online Gambling Activity

Sports betting represents 42.5% of all online gambling activities, online casinos make up for 32.4%. Lottery makes up 12.6% of all online gambling in the world, while poker encapsules 5%, bingo 4.3% and skill gaming takes 3.2%.

Responsible Gambling Has a Positive Impact on Players

Gamblers view Responsible Gambling features as a positive aspect of online casinos – especially gamblers that partake in non-recommended practices like loss-chasing.

Crypto Gambling is Well-Perceived Among Players

23% of crypto casino players state that blockchain technology makes them feel more secure when gambling online.

Players Open Disputes with Casino Operators More Commonly than You Think

Over 1/3^rd of online casino players enter disputes, at least once, with an online casino operator. Taking into consideration a sample size of over 10,000 players from 96 different countries that participated in a survey made by S. Gainsbury, J. Parke, and N. Suhonen.

Worldwide Gambling Stats

The global gambling market has grown as a consequence of online gambling, but the popularity of land-based casinos seems far from its peak. The popularity of gambling in Asia and America, as well as its ever-growing influence in Europe, makes for some quite interesting worldwide gambling stats to be found. We’ve compiled a list of the best ones here:

There are Over 1 Billion Gamblers Worldwide

Approximately 1.6 billion people partake in online gambling activities regularly, while 4.2 billion people gamble at least once per year.

Macau Has the Biggest Gambling Revenue on Earth

Macau is the city/territory that earns the most revenue in gambling income per year. In 2019 alone, the city made a staggering profit of $36 billion.

Players Actively Look for Odds when Choosing New Casinos

Over 60% of gamblers chose to play in a new casino operator while considering the best odds as the deciding factor. .

MGM Resorts Lead the Gambling Market in Revenue Worldwide

The US-based MGM Resort and Casino Chain generates a revenue of more than $5 billion per year, which makes them the most profitable casinos on the planet.

Asia Has a Booming Gambling Market

The Pacific-Asia region was the largest online gambling market in the world in 2021.

Gambling Revenue Will Likely Be Worth 4x Its 2015 Value within 15 Years

Global Online Gambling Revenue is expected to have grown from $40,480 million in 2015 to $192,264.4 in 2030.

The US is Driving North America’s Fast-Paced Gambling Industry

North America is one of the fastest-growing regions in the online casino world, partly thanks to the legalization of gambling and sports betting in new US states.

Gambling & Casino Stats by Country

Even though gambling has become a globalized activity, it’s still fair to say that regional markets have their own specific characteristics that make them unique and interesting to research on their own. We have compiled a complete list of statistics that touch on some of the world’s most relevant gambling markets by country:

United States Gambling Facts

• The Golden Gate Casino in Las Vegas opened in 1906 and it is known as the oldest casino in the country, as well as the oldest running active establishment.
• The sports betting sector is the fastest-growing gambling sector in the USA and it’s the main target for new regulations that are leading towards legalization in many states.
• Total wagers placed in US gambling sites were expected to reach at least $700 billion in 2022, which represents an increase of $80 billion in 5 years.
• In the United States, 43.44% of gamblers surveyed in 2021 preferred to play in physical casinos, while 15.38% said they enjoyed online casinos more.
• The percentage of Americans that partake in online gambling is around 3%, having generated $306 million in revenue back in 2018.
• It is estimated that around 3-5% of Americans are gambling addicts.

United Kingdom Gambling Facts

• The Casino Club Port Talbot is believed to be the United Kingdom’s first legal casino, established in 1961.
• In 2005, online casinos began to be legally advertised in the United Kingdom, which massively drove up the market value of virtual gambling sites.
• Taking into consideration the aforementioned Earth Web survey, 17% of people in the United Kingdom partake in online gambling activities, which generated a revenue of $5 billion during 2018.
• In 2022, only 7% of British players wagered for more than one hour in an online casino. The average amount of time that people spent playing in a casino was just 17 minutes in the UK, as per the official report of the UK Gambling Commission.
• 5% of the United Kingdom’s adult population are problem gamblers.

Canada Gambling Facts

• Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall is Canada’s oldest online casino.
• Canada legalized many aspects of gambling in 1985, which allowed many sportsbooks to flourish.
• 5% of all Canadians gambled at least once in 2021.
• Indigenous people in Canada are at a greater risk of suffering from problem gambling than the average Canadian (4.5% versus 1.5%, respectively).
• 5% of high-income Canadian households have gambled in 2021, while only 53.8% of low-income households engaged in gambling activities.
• 8% of all surveyed men gambled in Canada in 2021, while only 60.4% of women surveyed confessed to have gambled in the same year.

Some of these stats were taken by the official report published in the Canadian Statistics website by Michelle Rotermann and Heather Gilmour.

Australia Gambling Facts

• The Wrest Point Hotel Casino opened in 1973 and it’s the first legal land-based casino.
• Around 35% of all Australians gamble at least one a month, as per official government data.
• In one regular year, 70% of Australians partake in some sort of gambling activity.
• Australia is home to over 200,000 physical slot machines.

New Zealand Gambling Facts

• After its opening in 1994, the Dunedin Casino Christchurch became New Zealand’s first legal land-based casino.
• The average adult New Zealander gambles around $572 NZD every year, as stated by RNZ.
• Slot machines were introduced in 1987 in New Zealand and they are commonly known as “pokies”.
• There are more than 20,000 slot machines in land-based casinos in New Zealand.

Crypto Gambling Facts & Statistics

As online casinos continue taking the biggest part of the spotlight in the gambling world, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency slowly but steadily grow and quietly become some of the most popular ways to gamble online in the modern industry. The growth of crypto casinos isn’t expected to slow down – so, here are some facts about the industry:

The First Crypto Casino Launched in 2013

Cloudbet was launched in 2013 and it’s the first bitcoin casino to offer a complete gambling experience for users that relied solely in BTC.

Crypto Gambling Amounts to Over $250 Million Per Year

The global crypto gambling market is worth over $250 million.

Almost 1/4th of Online Gambling Wagers are Made with Cryptos

It is estimated that around 23% of all gambling market wagers are placed with cryptocurrency.

There are 4 Cryptocurrencies Mainly Used to Gamble Online

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash are the most popular cryptocurrencies in modern online casinos.

Future Gambling Stats – What Does the Future Hold?

It’s clear that gambling is here to stay. No matter how many regulations are imposed upon it, the activity is generating more and more revenue as years go by. Even as the Covid-19 pandemic was taking a massive toll on the global economy, the gambling market was still generating revenue – even if it was understandably lower than during previous years.

Let’s take a look at some of the research done into the future of gambling, as well as online gambling, to see what the next decades hold:

Online Gambling is Expected to Grow Massively by 2027

The expected CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of the global gambling industry is expected to be 11.9% in 2027.

Crypto Casinos are Set to Keep Opening

More online casinos are expected to accept cryptocurrency as time goes by, as the system is seen by many as a way to keep their money safe when gambling online.

Social Gaming Seems to Be The Future of Online Gambling

The widespread growth of mobile gaming and gambling is leading to a clear growth in social gaming as well. It could be safe to predict that the future of online gambling lies in social gaming.

Final thoughts

Gambling is still one of the most popular recreational activities in the world – and it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. Human nature elevates the joy of gambling and makes it a fantastic activity, and the modern state of technology allows us humankind to partake in it regardless of where they are. As these statistics indicate, the gambling sector (both online and physical) is set to continue a trend of growth that hasn’t stopped in the last few decades – even if it has, from time to time, stumbled.