2020 was a game-changing year online gambling market, mainly due to the online gaming & gambling legalization in the US. Ballot initiatives in the U.S. presidential election from November 2020 added new states to the growing list of U.S. states where online casino betting is legalized, allowing the online gambling market to garner significant revenues. The newly elected government signaled support for opening up the online gambling industry and reducing federal restrictions.

More legal breakthroughs expected in 2021 would become a huge momentum driver in the online gambling industry. Players like Bragg Gaming Group, MGM Resorts International, Wynn Resorts, Flutter Entertainment, and Caesars Entertainment are seeing new opportunities to increase their online footprint into major gaming markets in Europe, North America, and APAC markets that could mean big things in 2021 and beyond.

This also means that online gambling markets worldwide would garner significant traction. According to Market Research Future (MRFR), the global online gambling market size is projected to grow at a 13.2% CAGR during the forecast period (2019–2025).  The market was valued at USD 117.99 billion in 2018. Besides, advances in connectivity and other related technologies are expected to foster the global online gambling market size.

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COVID-19 Impact
The COVID-19 outbreak has positively impacted the already booming online gambling market, increasing public interest in online gaming by almost 52%. The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns worldwide allowed people with more free time to involve in gaming and leisure activities.

Besides, safe distancing mandates are increasing the uptake of online gambling, allowing access to all the games, slots, and sport betting facilities from home comfort. With the increased uses of various cloud gaming services, the online gambling market share is witnessing a constant uptick over the past few months.

Also, increasing investments are seen by the service providers to foster R&D activities to allow slot developers and online casino sites to exploit the online gambling market opportunities, making entertaining gambling programs & games from side project to the next global sensation.

Industry Trends:
Rapid developments in Internet technologies and mobile apps are projected to increase the online gambling market size, registering a significant growth in terms of revenues and the amount of time users spend on such gambling activities. Online poker and casinos are some of the widely played games in the overall online gambling market. With the improving Internet connectivity, online gambling platforms enable gamblers to play with anyone at a time.

Online gambling platforms offer various benefits compared to traditional gambling, such as support with numerous languages and multiple currencies depending upon the gambler’s location. Also, the online gambling platforms use real money, and they’re not required to exchange chips for money, the key feature that is not available in traditional casino games. These are some of the factors significantly boosting the online gambling market growth.

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On the other hand, regulatory norms such as The Information Technology Act in India that have certain provisions to ban foreign websites in the country restrict online gambling market growth. Also, in some countries, the governments have invoked the ban on playing on certain foreign betting sites, which can pose challenges to the growth of the online gambling market.

Segmentation:
The online gambling market is segmented into game type, device type, end users, and regions. The game type segment is sub-segmented into betting, casino, poker, lottery, online bingo, and others. The device type segment is sub-segmented into desktop and mobile. The end-user segment is sub-segmented into gambling enthusiasts, social exuberant, and dabbles.

Regional Segmentation:
By region, the market is bifurcated into the Americas (US, Canada, Mexico, Rest-of-North America) and South America, Europe (the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Rest-of-Europe), Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, and Rest-of-the-APAC), and Rest-of-the-World.

Europe is projected to dominate the global online gambling market. The presence of a large number of online gambling service providers that offer secured gambling platforms, such as Kindred Group PLC, Bet365, and 888 Holdings, drives the growth of the market in the region.

Besides, increased demand for online gambling services and improved Internet connectivity with high reliability in this region boost the market growth. Furthermore, advanced technologies and favorable government rules and regulations across various countries influence the region’s online gambling market share.

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North America is expected to acquire the second position in the global online gambling market. The market rise is predicted to be driven by the rising numbers of gamblers, and gambling platforms in the region contribute to the regional market growth. Current regulatory reforms in the United States are projected to create vast opportunities for new and established companies across the US gaming industry to move into the online space and serve a wider market of customers.

The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to emerge as a profitable market for online gambling globally. Increasing focus on improving internet connectivity and high R&D investment are the major factors projected to influence market growth in the region. Furthermore, technical expertise and the proliferation of smartphones foster the growth of the market. Online gambling platforms in emerging countries such as Indian and China are likely to boost the region’s market share during the assessment period.

Competitive Analysis:
The online gambling market is expected to witness significant product launches and implementations of several strategic approaches, such as expansion, collaboration, mergers & acquisitions, and product launches. Mature industry players are making strategic investments in research and development activities and fostering their expansion plans.

For instance, recently, on Jan. 29, 2021, FOX Bet, along with Pokerstars and Stars Casino, launched its sports betting and online gambling products in Michigan following a major sports-betting app that was approved in the state earlier in January 2021.

In another instance, an online gambling company – Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG), in December 2020, announced the launch of services in New Jersey and is poised for additional expansion with significant investments.

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Key players involved in the online gambling market are:

• The Stars Group (Canada)
• International Game Technology PLC (US)
• Betsson AB (Sweden)
• Net Entertainment (Sweden)
• Kindred Group Plc (Malta)
• Paddy Power Betfair PLC (Ireland)
• Ladbrokes Betting & Gaming Ltd. (UK)
• 888 Holdings PLC (UK)
• Bet-at-home.com (UK)
• Betfair Group plc. (UK)
• Bwin. Party Digital Entertainment (Austria)
• William Hill Plc (UK)
• bet365 (UK)
• Scientific Games (US)
• VGC Holdings PLC (Isle of Man)
• Betway (Europe)
• Spin Inc. (US)
• Royal Panda (Europe)