Let’s face it, people love to take their chances and place a wager. There’s a reason why gambling has been around for centuries and why online casino industries are now booming.
The COVID-19 lockdowns ushered in the era of online casinos⎯a market initially overlooked because of people’s preferences and legislative restrictions. But now that everyone knows how easy it is to pick up and play, countries have been opening their markets one by one to try and cash in on the trend.
Look no further if you’re curious about which countries have fully embraced the online casino market. We’ve listed the seven countries with the largest online casino industries. That way, you’ll know where to search for licensed online casinos while travelling. There’s nothing worse than getting entangled in unlicensed, dodgy online casinos. So, be sure to only play on legit sites that are actually licensed.
And when you’re ready to start playing, don’t forget to take advantage of deposit bonuses and free spins where they’re offered. This will allow you to play even more for free!
United Kingdom
Depending on which year’s statistics you’re viewing, the United Kingdom’s online casino industry is either the biggest or one of the biggest. The widespread acceptance of online gambling through smartphones primarily drives the market and it helps that players here can be as thrifty as they want with their gaming.
From April 2021 to March 2022, the UK’s gross gambling revenue generated £14.08 billion, or about $18.4 billion. And if we’re looking at just 2021 revenues, the UK raked in $12.5 billion. That’s a lot of money from an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
United States
It’s impossible not to associate Las Vegas with gambling, so it’s no surprise that the United States is soaring to the top with its online casino industry. With 33 states legalizing online casinos, and several more following suit, the US online casino market is growing bigger and bigger.
In 2021 alone, the US earned a gross revenue of $10.96 billion; that ballooned up to $12.4 billion in 2022. The country actually surpassed the UK as the world’s largest online casino market if you count the revenues for the entire 2022 calendar year.
And if you want to be impressed with America’s gambling industry in general, the country’s gambling revenue (including in-person and online gambling) was a record-breaking $54.9 billion.
Australia
Not to be left behind, everyone’s favourite people down under also turn out to be avid gamblers. Online casino usage has increased by 8 percent since 2020, thanks to the convenience of mobile playing.
Aussies have spent A$1.5 billion, or about a billion dollars, on online slot games alone. That doesn’t include the money they spent on other online casino games. If we included that, Australia’s online casino revenue was $6.5 billion. That’s an impressive number, especially considering the country allows slot machines to be used outside casinos. Online casinos must compete with ubiquitous gaming machines to capture an Australian’s attention.
Italy
Italians love to express themselves, so it’s no surprise that they turn to online casinos to achieve this. In 2021, Italy’s gross revenue from its online gambling market was $4.5 billion⎯an impressive number for a country where gambling, in general, is legal and casinos only need a license to operate.
The Italian online casino industry experienced a 2.6 percent decline in 2022, especially during the months leading up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But even though there was a slight decline in the Italian market, it was still a 6 percent increase when you look at their revenues on a year-by-year basis.
France
France’s online casino industry earned a gross revenue of $3.83 billion in 2021 but the country experienced an 11.2 percent decline in that particular market in 2022. Analysts believe the decline was due to the rescheduled Euro 2020 football tournament earlier in the year; if this was the case, it should have bounced back later in the year with the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Even online horse race betting wasn’t safe from the decline, suffering even further with a 17.6 percent reduction. The only online casino segment that didn’t suffer as much in France was poker, declining at only 3.1 percent.
Germany
Germany’s gross online casino revenue in 2021 was valued at $3.6 billion, which is already an impressive number for a country of 83.2 million people. What’s even more impressive is the earnings forecast for their 2023 gross revenue from online casinos: 4.99 billion Euros, or about $5.4 billion.
One of the main contributors to this growth was the introduction of online slots in the third quarter of 2022. Online slots proved so popular that the market expanded by about 15.5 percent. That’s a significant growth considering how young the German iGaming market is.
If you’re ever curious about which German state is the most active in online casinos, it’s the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It’s responsible for a whopping 20 percent increase in year-to-year online casino revenue.
Canada
Not to be outdone by its southerly neighbour, Canada’s online casino market is also growing at a rapid pace. Ontario’s iGaming market, which is only a year old, has already earned a total revenue of $1.4 billion. That’s an impressive number considering that Ontario is one of the first Canadian provinces to launch an online casino market; imagine how large Canada’s market would be if the other provinces launched their own iGaming markets.
Ontario’s performance is even more impressive when you compare it to Canada’s gambling revenue from 2021. The country’s total casino revenue for that year was $2.6 billion, most of which was from land-based casinos.
As Ontario’s market continues to grow and other provinces inevitably join the trend, Ontario online casino industry has a very bright and profitable future. So, we can certainly expect major online casino growth in the coming months and years.
