Science and Research Journal Uncovers New Market Trends in Gambling

01 October 2026

The gambling market is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the rise of digital technologies, mobile access, and AI-enabled innovations. A trio of new reports, released by three research entities including Stadium Gamblers Weekly, Responsible Gambling Advocacy Funds and Market Odyssey Research Institute, paint a picture of an industry in flux, with online growth, mobile-first behaviours and targeted marketing reshaping a sector long dominated by bricks-and-mortar casinos.

The $534 billion global gambling market, which includes legal, illegal, land-based and online gambling operations, showed robust growth of close to 6% from 2022 to 2025, driven by the digital shift that accelerated during lockdowns. In 2024, more than 45% of gambling operators reported receiving over 60% of their revenues from online services, and the proportion spending more than 30% of their marketing budgets on digital channels reached 70% - a 22% increase from 2021. That proportion is expected to rise by 20% by 2028, largely at the expense of land-based marketing.

Online gambling, in turn, is driving the increase in total gambling revenues. According to industry analysts, online gambling's share of the total market reached an estimated 21% in 2023, rising from 12% in 2019. Players in the Americas spearheaded the shift, with regional online gambling revenues growing by 25% in 2025 from 2022, and representing 40% of the overall online gambling market.

Key trends shaping gambling's digital transformation

The reports mapped three key forces behind the shift to digital gambling.

First, smartphone penetration, which climbed to 72% in 2024, is widening access to gambling. But the increased revenues are obscured by nearly half the population worldwide aged 21-49 overlooking or failing to interpret app permission requests to access phone information.

Second, for the first time, online players account for around 48% of global gambling population and 55% of total gambling time. Most of that is taking place on social media. Of the 60% of online gamblers who said they visited gambling operators on social platforms in 2025, 38% made a purchase, a notable increase from the 28% in 2021.

Third, most online casinos now offer fast mobile, biometric, and AI-driven payment experiences optimized for the customer. A recent industry report found that 65% of online gamblers cited these discovery and purchase experiences as better than traditional methods, with online gamblers more likely to return to, and recommend online casinos 68% more frequently.

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These factors are converging in new products and business models. For example, new gambling services, that combine casino gaming with personal assistant features, increasingly are being embedded in social feeds, messaging apps and shopping platforms.

Moving bets online: The role of regulation

The rapid growth of online gambling has given rise to concerns and pressures for regulatory oversight, research has found. A study by Responsible Gambling Advocacy Funds found that marketing of gambling, especially online sports betting, showed particularly high-risk for children, young people and vulnerable groups. A separate analysis by university researchers noted that vulnerable gamblers are not less susceptible to money flow issues triggered by online gambling.

In 2023, following concerns over sports-betting sponsorship during major events, including tennis and rugby tournaments, many countries in the Asia-Pacific and Americas increased their gambling age from 18 to 21 as their median minimum age. More research is needed in this area including questions about the consequences of online exposure and a general lack of longitudinal studies about gambling behaviours in the digital age.

Regulators face new challenges in the growth and sophistication of online gambling. Because many gambling businesses belong to larger corporate groups, regulators in 2024 moved towards monitoring entire business structures. Market researchers found that some retailers who offer various non-gambling products are offering gambling products as a prize incentive, creating tracking difficulties across commercial ownership. This lack of data remains a key regulatory gap.

AI is also changing how regulators work. The extensive data collection now available offers unprecedented views of gambling behaviors, including patterns like the so-called accumulator effect, where wager amounts increase during a single session. Researchers have found that the average accumulated session wager is now 65, up from 50 in 2021; and that most play time is spent attempting to recover initial losses. These insights could inform better age restrictions and gambling product regulations.

The reports by Stadium Gamblers Weekly, Responsible Gambling Advocacy Funds and Market Odyssey Research Institute provide a snapshot of how digital technologies, changing consumer behaviors, and regulatory oversight are reshaping the gambling industry. More research is needed including longitudinal studies of digital gambling behaviors, evidence on how online marketing affects different groups, and ways to monitor these effects across commercial ownership structures.