Within the realm of gambling, a diverse array of prospects constantly emerges on the global stage. Industry’s promising future has now become more than evident and a significant catalyst behind its impressive expansion is undoubtedly attributed to the rise of the online and the digital era. With the online reaching new peaks every day, what lies on the horizon for each region globally?
Distinct markets display distinct characteristics – preferred verticals, inherent player psychographics, behaviours and habits, directly contributing to shape the way sectors develop.
This article navigates through the unfolding landscape in terms of the online onshore gross win, probing into the sectors poised for amplified growth.
Africa
Online gambling in African countries varies widely with some countries embracing it and establishing regulatory frameworks, while others have stricter regulations or outright bans. Factors such as the proliferation of the internet and greater accessibility, demographics, economic conditions change and technological infrastructure impact the continuous evolving of the African landscape, with some promising figures expected, as reported by H2GC.
In terms of onshore gross win, only for the online segment, the second largest continent is expected to note a tremendous growth in the Betting sector (including Sports and Horseracing), reaching 3.3 €bn by 2028. This expectation is no surprise, having in mind the betting surge that countries like South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Morocco and others are experiencing in recent times.Noticeable growth is foreseen also when it comes to Gaming and State Lotteries. Gaming in particular, including Casino, Poker and Bingo, is expected to make a leap from 0.08 €bn in 2021 to 0.5 €bn by 2028, whilst State Lotteries with the rather “same start” in 2021 as Gaming, are projected to rise to 0.12 €bn in online onshore gross win.
Latin America & The Caribbean
Offshore gambling in the Latin American region is very present, especially having in mind the still unregulated sleeping giant – Brazil with hundreds of grey operators. However, with Colombia being the pioneer in regulation in iGaming landscape, followed by other countries, Latin America slowly but surely becomes a focal point of operators, brimming with numerous opportunities. Despite the complexity of the regulations, as each jurisdiction has distinct strategy, with the latest developments such as the regulation of Peru and Chile being on the horizon, LatAm’s growth outlook is the one to keep an eye on.
According to H2GC, the online onshore gross win in 2024 for Betting (Sports and Horseracing) is projected to nearly 2 €bn and by 2028 the number is estimated to increase to 3.75 €bn, noting the biggest increase compared to Gaming (Casino, Poker and Bingo) and State Lotteries. The rise of the Betting sector in this landscape is tied to various factors, such as the cultural affinity for sports and finding ways to engage with the favourite teams and players, as well as the increased internet access and availability of online betting platforms. The Gaming and Lotteries sectors on the other hand are still expected to mark a steady but continuous growth or put in numbers, Gaming is foreseen to mark a growth of notable 349% from 2021 to 2028 and Lotteries of 141% for the same period.
Europe
Europe remains a pivotal player in the global iGaming arena, despite countries boasting strong regulatory environments. As an example, beside their vigorous regulatory frameworks, countries such as the UK, Germany and the Netherlands continue attracting established international operators to enter their markets. Among them, undoubtedly, the United Kingdom is the largest and most mature gambling market on the continent with the biggest number of established and renowned gambling operators, and a long tradition and culture of gambling, significantly contributing to Europe’s gross win figures. Taking a look at the online gross win of the EU27 countries and the UK, the sectors show considerable stability in the long term despite continuous regulatory updates in terms of adding restrictions concerning marketing and advertising, higher tax introductions, responsible gaming player limits and more.
In terms of online onshore gross win, H2GC’s projections for the Lotteries sector indicate a growth of 39% from the post-Covid 2022 until 2028, a slight decrease of 2% in terms of Gaming (Casino, Poker, Bingo) and a 3% growth of the Betting sector which includes Sports and Horseracing by the same year.
Rather stable, the old continent’s gambling landscape makes the operators seek for inventive products that provide a win-win scenario: avoid regulatory hurdles while delivering their players new and enticing offering.
North America
The North American gambling market is poised for substantial growth and expansion in the upcoming years. As numerous states and provinces across North America continue to adopt a progressive approach by legalizing and regulating diverse forms of gambling, the global industry landscape witnesses a transformative shift in its perception. Once stigmatized, it has seamlessly integrated itself into mainstream entertainment. Besides, the significant economic contributions it introduces, the escalating popularity of major sports leagues, such as the NFL, NBA, and NHL, new technologies facilitating innovation of fresh and diverse products are factors that have played a role in reshaping the contours of North America’s gambling industry landscape. When focusing on specific figures, the projections are nothing short of promising. In the next five years, only the Betting sector (Sports and Horceracing) is foreseen to reach exceptional 24.34 €bn, Gaming (including Casino, Poker and Bingo) to exceed 27.5 €bn and State Lotteries to reach the figure of 5.64 €bn in online onshore gross win. As per H2GC, the ones to get most player engagement in the following years by 2028 are Sports betting, Casino, Poker and Lotteries.
Taking a look at the overall growth of total gambling on the world map, that is, region by region, it is clear that the industry is on an upward trajectory, recording significant year on year upsurge, offering wide range of possibilities both for operators and suppliers. In the global picture, Latin America is the market that will achieve the most significant growth by 2028, or an almost six-fold jump in terms of figures from the referent 2021. Right after it, the North American market is on a pace to reach 57.5 €bn online onshore gross win by 2028, making it the largest market on the planet. Even though a smaller market than Europe, Africa is on the way to reach significantly higher growth compared to the European continent, which in 5 years from now is predicted to see a slight decline, but still maintain its stable position.
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