Online gambling is one of the fastest growing segments of the digital entertainment sector globally. This has, understandably, seen businesses gain wider attention among global investors. The world’s leading gambling market of the US has expanded considerably in the past decade, attracting millions of new players and billions of dollars into the sector. Regulated US online gambling generated somewhere in the region of $100 billion in revenue in 2025, and that isn’t including the offshore market.
It’s not only the short term growth opportunity that attracts investors however. Online gambling is seen as a sign of shifting digital markets, and gambling has long been a hugely popular form of entertainment globally – so there’s plenty of room to grow even further. Online gambling operators are also often at the forefront of technological innovation like cryptocurrency payments and live streaming, giving investors exposure to other growth industries. This article will explore those factors, and others, in more detail to give you the lowdown on why online gambling firms are a big deal for investors in 2026.
The Rapid Growth of US Online Gambling
Major US gambling operators have reported almost incredible revenue growth since legalization began to spread in 2019. As the world’s biggest economy, the US market was a huge and mostly untapped area of potential for online sports betting in particular – and Americans have embraced it with gusto.
Even after seven years, revenues are still growing strong. In 2025, large operators made revenue gains of 20% or more across quarters and the entire business sector grew by 30% across the year. Average predictions suggest around 7.5% to 10% growth per year until 2030.
Although the number of states legalizing sports betting and online casinos has decreased, several massive markets like California and Texas remain unregulated for now. If either decided to open a competitive market in the future, the potential growth opportunities could be huge. With existing operators that have US brand awareness positioned to get a competitive edge.
Gambling has traditionally been a long term investment. A land-based casino takes a long time and lot of money to build, let alone the process of licensing and planning. An online casino can go from idea to launch in just months or even weeks. Revenue scalability is also huge, compared to land-based operations.
Globally, Markets like Canada are Also Expanding
While the US market is attracting the most investor attention right now, other regions also have thriving regulated online casino markets. The UK’s market continues to grow rapidly, even while it faces increasing regulation as one of the most mature markets. In Canada, Ontario launched it’s regulated online casino market in 2022, and it has proved very popular with players. Alberta will soon also be following suit, while offshore casinos serving players in other provinces are also thriving.
For one example, investors only have to look at the list of leading Canadian online casino sites supplied by Casino.org. Players turn to these sites because the market is a competitive one, and casinos differ slightly on factors like bonuses, game selections and user experience. Third-party comparative lists can also help investors stay informed on which casinos are consistently popular and of good standing, as well as the latest trends and tech innovations.
Investors See Long Term Potential Despite Increasing Regulation
For investors, online gambling stocks have plenty of long-term upsides. For example:
- Highly scalable
- Potentially global markets
- Consistent growth over decades despite increased regulation
- Explosive growth is possible if more US states legalize
While responsible gambling concerns and regulatory compliance pressures remain, they have not put off growth so far.
Increased smartphone adoption and faster mobile payments have also made online gambling more accessible across the world. There is a proven market demand for gambling basically everywhere, so providing more access is likely to see high levels of adoption. Globally, mobile devices account for some 70% of all gambling revenues according to some studies.
While there may have been a dip in share prices in 2026 for many US major gambling operators, stocks are still rated as at least hold by many investors and they are generally long-term investments.
Online Gambling Innovation can Signal Wider Economic Changes
Another reason investors like to keep an eye on, if not money in, the online gambling sector, is that gambling businesses are often at the forefront of adopting new technologies. Mobile payments, cryptocurrency and the blockchain and live streaming technology are all increasingly used by online gambling operators.
Cryptocurrency gambling is one of the most popular commercial uses of cryptocurrency right now, and has been for a few years. Crypto casinos have become huge brands making billions of dollars a year, and some of them have even debuted their own casino specific tokens.
Online casinos have also been a pioneer in sponsoring live streamers, as well as HD live 24/7 live streaming tech with the emergence of live dealer casino gaming in the mid 2010s.
For investors, online gambling operators can illustrate popular new uses for existing tech, or even debut their own new technologies that could have global market impact. Monitoring these moves helps investors stay ahead of the competition, and investments can offer dual exposure to both gambling and other growth opportunities like crypto.
Disclaimer: The press release above isn’t produced by Insider Monkey’s editorial team. We don’t verify the contents of press releases for accuracy. It is strongly recommended that you perform due diligence before investing or trading in anything, including consulting a professional financial advisor.
