The most lucrative casino market in 2025 for operators
Across the globe, the casino industry is growing. While some countries have taken the opportunity to legalise gambling, capitalising on this growth, others have not. Despite this, online casinos are making it very easy for players around the world to access these sites. And for casino operators, this is very handy as it means they can still access a wide player market even when gambling isn’t entirely legalised. By registering and getting licencing from offshore jurisdictions, operators are able to access a broader market. But which one is currently the most lucrative?
Expanding into the USA
One of the big markets is the USA. Since the PASPA was repealed in 2019, the country has broadened its options when it comes to gambling and casinos. Each state is now encouraged to create their own gambling laws, including online casinos and sportsbooks. Each year, more and more states are legalising online gambling meaning that there are more and more options when it comes to joining in this market. It’s still a little hard for operators though, as each state has their own jurisdiction and governing body. As such, it means operators need to carefully meet all requirements and gain a licence from within that state. Unlike other jurisdictions, offshore casinos are typically not legal in the USA, which makes it harder for these operators to join. However, for players, it’s often unclear which casinos are legal which is why reading the online casino review is essential when selecting where to play.
Accessing Asia
Many Asian countries do not have legal gambling in physical form. Thailand and India are just two of the main countries with no legal gambling opportunities. However, the arrival of online gambling has left a significant opening. Neither of these countries have any laws explicitly stating that online gambling is illegal or not permitted. For operators, they cannot be based or licenced within either of these countries, but when licenced elsewhere, there’s nothing stopping them from accepting Asian players from an increasingly large pool.
Importantly, the Asian gambling market saw a surge in recent years, with an increasing number of players and countries joining in the market. In fact, looking at the big picture, it really is Asia where the market is currently the most lucrative. Statistics show that the gambling turnover for this region will grow to around 12% CAGR by 2028. This makes it easily the largest across all regions in the iGaming industry. To put this in perspective, the Asia Pacific gaming market was estimated at 136.5 billion USD in 2023 and is only growing from there.
It’s a sector that’s gaining momentum with a desire to develop the gambling sector throughout all countries. Yes, it’s not at the same level as Europe, but with trends toward expansion, it’s proved to be a good option for new investors and operators within the region. Importantly, many regulatory authorities in Asian countries now consider gambling as part of the economy, making further changes to ensure it continues developing in the region.