The next five years in the iGaming industry are likely to mark a significant shift. This is because speed, compliance discipline, and mobile experience will be the most relevant. Those who focus on these fundamentals will benefit from the online gambling industry. Those who do not will face increasing pressure.
A few years ago, many brands could still grow through additional content and extra bonuses. From 2026 onward, that approach becomes expensive, risky, and far less predictable. The strongest operators will win by making the product more immediate, the payments smoother, and the risk controls invisible but strict.
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The Numbers to Frame 2026–2031
The global online gambling is estimated at $101 billion in 2026, with projections of $169 billion by 2031 (with the implied 10.72% CAGR). The baseline also matters because the 2025 figure is placed at $92 billion, so the curve is already rising before the new cycle even starts.
The split between the fastest and the largest growing regions is also relevant. Europe still leads in total revenue share, yet North America shows the strongest pace over the forecast window. That combination typically indicates that mature jurisdictions are tightening restrictions on advertising and bonuses, while newer regulated regions still have room to expand via mobile access and product breadth.
What the trajectory often means for the operator’s strategy:
- Scale will not come for free. Higher volumes bring greater scrutiny, which pushes investment into infrastructure, compliance, and fraud prevention.
- Product speed becomes a revenue lever. Faster feeds, settlement, and user journeys can lift bet frequency and average stake without the addition of new geographies.
- Mobile growth is not only about convenience. Handheld sessions create more touchpoints, which makes live wagering, notifications, and short-form formats extra profitable in comparison to desktop-first habits.
What Pushes the Sector Upward
For a clearer picture, it helps to break demand growth into specific drivers and their estimated contribution to CAGR.
Faster Tech Stack
New platform builds now prioritise phone-first design, progressive web apps, and native experiences that behave like entertainment products. Lower latency from 5G and edge setups supports real-time features that used to feel fragile, especially in live dealer and in-play contexts.
The 5G factor is relevant beyond general marketing claims. As of 2024, North America has 55%network adoption, while Greater China is close behind. This helps explain why that US region can scale more complex real-time experiences faster.
Friendly Legal Route in Key Regions
Regulatory expansion is still the biggest structural push because official access opens mainstream payment rails, higher trust, and predictable consumer protection rules. In the US, the state-by-state path continues. The current operational model by the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States targets more standardised tax bands (15%–25% on adjusted gross revenue).
Emerging jurisdictions show the same direction, just with different conditions. Brazil’s Law 14.790/2023 is an example of higher maturity, with local establishment requirements and responsible gaming duties, alongside an estimate of $4.5 billion in annual tax revenue.
Real-Time Video and Micro Markets
Live wagering becomes more dominant when the viewing experience is woven into the betting flow. The key shift is micro opportunities that increase the number of decision points inside one match (next point, goal, card, etc.). This can lift bet frequency and average ticket size when pricing stays synchronised with the stream.
This is also where scale advantages appear. Exclusive data feeds and streaming agreements create a structural advantage because they support in-play models and reduce latency gaps that can erode margin through arbitrage.
Payments that Remove Friction
Deposit and withdrawal innovations change conversion more than most front-end tweaks. Faster wallets, instant settlement, and account-to-account transfers reduce the time to first bet, and that can have a greater revenue impact than adding another game studio.
Open banking style transfers in Europe and the UK, and crypto rails in markets where banks restrict gambling payments, are particularly efficient. Compliance can still exist through traceability, so the question becomes governance, not possibility.
Blockchain as an Infrastructure Layer
Long-term influence of the crypto framework here is mostly about cross-border movement and settlement logic. For operators, it is another option for deposits, withdrawals, and reconciliation where traditional intermediaries create limits.
This driver is forecast as less impactful than others. It supports the ecosystem, but it does not replace licensing, product quality, or risk management.
Natural Personalisation
Effective personalisation in 2026–2031 is about minimising irrelevant content for each user. Smart sorting, relevant offers, and tailored betting suggestions can reduce churn and lift session value, especially when users juggle multiple entertainment apps.
The practical difference in 2026–2031 is how quickly these models react. With machine learning, brands can adjust surfaces in near real time based on behaviour patterns rather than static segments.
What Holds Growth Back
During the 2026–2031 period, friction will remain. The main constraints on CAGR are typically taxation and licensing, followed by security threats.
Cost Pressure
Newly regulated markets often look attractive until the real entry bill arrives. For example, Brazil has a 12% GGR tax and licence fees up to $6 million (January 2025). This typically favours larger groups with capital and compliance teams, and not small beginning brands.
The same logic shows up in the US through tiered taxation in some states. When effective rates climb, operators either cut marketing spend, reduce promotions, or tweak margin levers to protect profitability.
Security as a Competitive Feature
Fraud prevention can decide retention, payment acceptance, and even the ability to keep licences when reporting standards tighten.
Common security issues:
- account takeover;
- payment fraud;
- bonus abuse;
- bot networks;
- identity theft.
On top of that, the cost of multi-factor authentication, behavioural tools, and real-time monitoring can also be quite impactful. Smaller teams feel this burden more sharply because they cannot spread tooling costs across many jurisdictions.
Uneven Payment Access
In emerging markets, banking restrictions can be the single biggest blocker to conversion. Even when demand exists, deposits fail, withdrawals slow down, and trust drops fast.
This is where alternative rails matter, but those options still require careful governance to fit local rules and responsible gambling expectations.
Policy-Shaping Reputation
Some markets will remain cautious, especially in religious or socially conservative environments. That drag often shows up through strict advertising limits, narrow product allowances, or long approval cycles.
For operators, the key is patience and localisation. A standardised approach applied across jurisdictions without adaptation will not be effective.
Segment Shifts to Define the Next Cycle
Gambling is always dynamic in terms of formats, demand, audience, device, and other variables. Adaptation should be proactive, ideally before market shifts become widely apparent. This is where analyses are particularly important.
Sports Betting to Keep Its Lead
The biggest share belongs to wagering, with 52.05% of global online gambling in 2025 and the highest forecast growth rate among segments (11.75% CAGR through 2031). That mix of dominance and pace explains why many brands treat the sportsbook as the centre of the ecosystem.
It also benefits from broader social acceptance and a less complex regulatory path compared to classic casino offerings in some jurisdictions. Football remains the key volume sport, while horse racing and tennis keep steady activity through established calendars and infrastructure.
A key datapoint example comes from the UK. On-course horse race betting turnover exceeded $326 million from April 2022 to March 2023 (up from $208 million the prior year). This shows that land-based heritage products can still drive digital behaviour through fandom and tradition.
Default Handheld Play
Mobile and tablet already take 53.65% of revenue share (2025). However, the important nuance here is the pace. 13.65% CAGR is the fastest platform growth rate for 2026–2031. This is why product teams increasingly design for short, frequent sessions rather than long desktop visits.
Mobile dominance also changes security and personalisation. Biometrics, location tools, and push notifications become core parts of engagement and risk control, not optional extras.
Age Mix and Product Expectations
The 25–34 cohort holds the biggest slice at 34.10% (2025). This group often wants speed, decent UX, and a broad portfolio without too much friction.
At the same time, the 18–24 segment shows the fastest growth at 11.98% CAGR through 2031. That younger audience typically responds to interactive formats, social layers, and real-time entertainment loops, which pushes operators to adjust UX without the need to cross compliance lines.
In-Play as the Main Engagement Engine
Live wagering already represents 53.40% of betting activity (2025). Its projected 14.85% CAGR through 2031 signals a clear behavioural shift that users want to react to matches, not plan everything before kick-off.
This trend raises the technical bar. Risk teams must price fast, manage exposure across thousands of concurrent markets, and keep streams aligned with data feeds to protect margin.
Regional Breakdown
Different markets react to the changes in a particular way. Through 2026-2031, some locations may have distinct progress and GGR growth, but the general picture indicates the global industry improvement.
Tightened Rules in Europe
The EU holds 56.90% of the worldwide revenue share (2025), which equals $52.15 billion. Mature markets often reduce headline growth through stricter advertising codes and bonus limitations, yet regulation also channels grey activity into licensed platforms when enforcement improves.
North America Fast Growth
The US, Canada, and neighbouring countries are forecast to expand at 15.40% CAGR through 2031. The growth is mainly linked to continued legal rollouts and mobile approvals, which accelerate adoption and help mainstream the product.
Asian-Pacific Fragmented Policy
High mobile usage and e-wallet comfort create upside. However, uneven legal approaches can slow the clean scaling. The opportunity is real, yet timing depends on clearer frameworks and consistent enforcement.
Latin America Launch Cycle
Brazil’s regulation is the anchor here, even if entry costs are high. A large population, strong sports culture, and a formal route for brands can meet the requirements and create a favourable environment for the future of the industry.
Selective Middle East and Africa
The UAE’s creation of a dedicated regulator is presented as a major signal shift for the region. For Africa, mobile sports betting continues to grow in key countries, often built around local payment habits and short-session usage patterns.
Competition and Priorities
The gambling landscape is typically described as moderately fragmented. Global groups and quick regional specialists always compete side by side. The difference is often operational readiness, which includes audit trails, data sovereignty awareness, and risk controls that can pass scrutiny across jurisdictions.
Consolidation also accelerates when scale becomes essential.
How leading brands use deals to widen distribution and diversify product exposure:
- DraftKings agreed to acquire Jackpocket for approximately $750 million to bring a major lottery app into its wider ecosystem.
- Flutter moved to take a 56% stake in Brazil’s NSX Group (Betnacional) for around $350 million to position itself for growth as regulation matures.
This forecast period favours operational discipline over speculative product bets. If you want a simple framework, your operational estimates should revolve around experience, compliance, and resilience.
What to prioritise across 2026-2031:
- Design the product around live moments. Build journeys that move from viewing to action fast, with pricing, stream alignment, and settlement that do not break trust.
- Treat licensing and risk as product features. Strong KYC, fraud controls, and clear safer-gambling tools help you enter markets faster and keep the licence once audits start.
- Make payments feel invisible. Expand wallet choice, reduce friction, and match local preferences, because deposit success is still one of the biggest growth multipliers.
The Main Things about Online Gambling Trends for 2026–2031
The next cycle of iGaming will favour operators that combine real-time entertainment with reliable compliance infrastructure. Those who achieve this balance are best positioned for sustained growth.
Key aspects to keep in mind about the future of the industry:
- Global online gambling is forecast to rise from $101 billion in 2026 to $169 billion in 2031, which implies 11% CAGR across the period.
- Sports betting remains the largest segment, while in-play formats expand faster as real-time video and micro markets become normal expectations.
- Mobile keeps reshaping behaviour, since handheld play already leads revenue share and is projected to grow the quickest through 2031.
- Regulation creates the biggest upside, yet high taxes, expensive licences, and stricter audits raise the entry bar for smaller operators.
- Security and payments must meet high standards, because fraud pressure and deposit friction can offset growth even in high-demand regions.
If you want to build a profitable iGaming business, Casino Market can cover any specific region or format for your platform. Our experts constantly analyse ongoing trends and relevant changes to maximise the efficiency of project creation.
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