Casino Sizes

Global Online Gambling Market Size

As we’ve mentioned previously, the online gambling market was worth USD 53.7 billion back in 2019. It is expected to grow at an annual rate of 11.5% until 2027. In 2020, the market size already reached $66.72 billion. It is in big part thanks to the high internet penetration and the use of mobile devices. With more people using the internet more frequently, online gambling is becoming more accessible.

The sports betting segment is the largest one out of the gambling industry online. It accounted for more than a third in 2020. Casinos were second, followed by lottery, bingo, poker, and others. The reduced number of sporting events in 2020 reduced its market share. However, sports betting is expected to recover once the pandemic is over. It is usually more than half of the online gambling market.

Virtual Reality, Blockchain and AI Impact Over Online Casino Market Growth

Improvements in virtual reality have helped push online casinos forward. The games look better, and the overall environment is more realistic. This is especially true when it comes to live dealer games and virtual reality casino games. As new technologies develop and become mainstream, we can expect to see new casino features.

Artificial intelligence is another factor that leads to the growth of the market. It gives players new features and functions, both for desktop and mobile gaming. Online casino apps are now using AI for a better customer experience. This includes support with quick responses, recommended games, and unique promos. However, AI can track players and provide recommendations based on their patterns. It is also ideal for flagging problem gamblers and helps prevent addiction issues.

Blockchain technology growth made its way to the online gambling business as well. Cryptocurrencies are becoming more and more popular with casino players. Bitcoin is the main one and allows for secure transactions online. Blockchain-based casinos are decentralized and not influenced by third parties.

Driving and Restraining Factors

Driving factors for the growth of online casinos can cover a broad spectrum. Arguably the biggest one is the growing popularity of online payments. Players are already accustomed to making online purchases. The process has also gotten a lot easier, with casinos accepting a wide range of banking methods. Debit and credit cards are widely available and e-wallets, like PayPal, Skrill, and NETELLER, are already mainstream.

The software for online casinos is also improving at a fast pace. The games look a lot better than they did 10 years ago, and the graphics continue to get better. Live casinos are available at most of the big gambling sites in 2024.

Lastly, the mobile boom helps keep players connected with their favorite casino games. More than half of players enjoy betting from their phones.

Restraining factors are also very important. They can include the impact that gambling has on mental health. The easy access that online casinos offer has also increased the number of problem gamblers. It is now harder to stay away from betting options since it only takes a few seconds to connect.

Other restraining factors cover regulations and limitations in various countries from around the world. Many markets still impose a ban on online gambling, citing various concerns regarding gambling addiction. Large taxes and restrictive licensing protocols can limit the available casino options in a country.

Europe and North America Dominate the Online Gambling Market

When it comes to the gambling market based on location, Europe continues to dominate. In 2020, it accounted for $30.92 billion out of the total $66.72 billion. This is expected to continue in the upcoming years, especially with more countries legalizing online casinos. It is sports betting that drives most of the action in Europe. Massive operators cater to sports enthusiasts throughout the year.

North America may be behind, but it has the highest growth rate. Various states are looking into legalizing online gambling in the USA. New Jersey and Pennsylvania are two of the biggest states with legal online casinos.

Most Valuable Online Casino Brands

The biggest online casino brands are quick to stand out. They usually offer large casino products, along with other online gambling options. We will take a quick look at the most valuable brands right here:

Bet365

Brief History

Bet365 was established in 2000, making it one of the newer brands on our list. The company started offering sports betting options 365 days a year, resulting in the name. Its extensive betting menu helped the bookmaker grow into one of the largest operators online.

Casino games were added within a couple of years, followed by a dedicated online poker skin in 2004. Bet365 Poker moved from the Microgaming Network to the iPoker Network in 2007.

They added bingo to the platform in 2008.

Brand Valuation

The Bet365 brand is valued at $1.6 billion in 2020, making it the most valuable online gambling brand. The UK-based company grew in 2021 and solidified its position with a value of $1.719 billion.

No Deposit Bonus Offer

Bet365 Casino is offering a 100% welcome bonus of up to $200. It is available on the first deposit or transfer of $20 or more. Players just need to select the Casino New Player offer code and accept the bonus. It has a wagering requirement of 20 times the sum of the qualifying deposit and the received bonus.

Best Features

• Loads of sports betting options – Sports betting remains the main product offered by Bet365. It has amazing coverage of sports from around the world and has a packed schedule for live betting.
• Live streaming – The operator deals with various organizations and provides live streaming of sporting events. This feature goes very well with the in-play betting interface, as players can follow the action.
• Casino, Live Casino, and Games – Bet365 has three casino products on the site. Bet365 Casino uses software from Playtech, while Games focuses on slots from a wide range of developers. Then there is the live casino with exclusive tables and around-the-clock action.
• Poker – Bet365 Poker is known for having loose tables where players can have fun online. There is a $365 welcome bonus and a dedicated loyalty program here.
• Bingo – Online bingo games are available 24/7 at Bet365. The interface is user-friendly, and ticket prices can start from just 1p. Some bingo games come with progressive jackpots that can exceed $150,000.

888

Brief History

888 Holdings started in 1997 as Virtual Holdings Limited. The company launched Casino-on-Net as its first site, with its headquarters in Antigua. In 2002, Reef Club Casino and Pacific Poker went live. Pacific Poker went on to become one of the biggest online poker rooms in the world. However, it lost a big chunk of its player base when online gambling became illegal in the US in 2006.

The company rebranded its products and adopted the new 888 brand, with a focus on Europe. It now has multiple brands and is one of the most popular online gambling brands in the world.

Brand Valuation

888 is estimated to have a brand value of $1.458 billion.

No Deposit Bonus Offer

888 Often changes its bonus offer. The main highlight is the $88 for free. However, this can depend on your location. The $88 no deposit bonus is available when signing up and gives players a decent chunk. You can claim it from the promotional email after registering. There is also a 100% bonus on the first deposit for up to $100.

Best Features

• 888 Casino – The online casino accounts for more than 60% of 888’s revenue and is now its main product. It offers a mix of slots and other games from leading developers, including plenty of in-house creations. There are also loads of progressive jackpots and special promos available here.
• 888 Poker – 888 uses its proprietary poker software to offer a platform for recreational poker players. It is one of the most popular poker sites globally and features a long list of tournaments.
• 888 Sports – The 888 online sports betting site keeps the same overall layout as the casino. It covers tens of sports and often has very sharp lines with low margins for better results.
• 888 Ladies – 888 Ladies is an online bingo platform in the UK. It caters to females and offers various bingo games. New users can get a 200% bingo bonus of up to £100.

William Hill

Brief History

William Hill is one of the oldest brands in the gambling industry. It started in 1934 and changed its name multiple times over the years. The company focused on sports betting in the UK and was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2002. As it expanded, William Hill bought hundreds of betting offices throughout the UK and Ireland. It now has more than 1,500 betting shops.

The sports betting giant started expanding online in 2005, which helped it grow even further.

Brand Valuation

The William Hill brand value is probably worth around $1.2 billion. However, it is worth mentioning that Caesars Entertainment is looking to buy William Hill for $3.7 billion.

No Deposit Bonus Offer

William Hill Casino has a welcome bonus of 100% up to £300. New customers can opt-in and deposit £10 or more to claim it. The wagering requirement is 40x, and there is a maximum winnings limit of £2,000.

Best Features

• William Hill Sports – The online sportsbook remains the core product on the site. William Hill Sports covers more than 35 sports in great detail. It also has sharp lines and the biggest winning limits in the industry. Players can bet big and win even bigger.
• William Hill Casino, Vegas, and Live Casino – To provide a wide range of betting options, the site has a section for Casino and another for Vegas. The former has games powered by Playtech, and the latter features a mix of titles. The live casino shows all of the live dealer games and has a £5 no deposit bonus.
• William Hill Poker – William Hill Poker is on the iPoker Network, giving players access to the large network. The platform gets decent traffic, especially for Texas Hold ’em, and there are loads of specials. Twister races, exclusive bonuses, and other perks can improve the results.

LeoVegas

Brief History

Founded in 2011, LeoVegas has been one of the fastest-growing online casino brands. It focuses on mobile gaming but also offers a desktop version for online players. In 2016, LeoVegas launched its sports betting product on the platform.

Over the years, LeoVegas has won multiple awards, including Brand of the Year in 2018.

Brand Valuation

Compared to other brands on our list, LeoVegas is certainly smaller. The company has a revenue of around $388 million.

No Deposit Bonus Offer

The bonus offer at LeoVegas will depend on your location. The operator often has exclusive deals for certain markets. For example, players in Canada are eligible for a $1,000 welcome bonus, plus up to 200 free spins.

Best Features

• LeoVegas Casino – The best feature at LeoVegas has to be the casino. It comes with a unique interface that is easy to navigate. Players can find more than 1,500 slots, tens of table games, and more on the site. There are even some LeoVegas exclusives to go with the many titles from top developers.
• Mobile Apps – LeoVegas is best known for its mobile products. It has mobile apps for Android and iOS that allow users to connect from any location easily. The mobile casino keeps most of the same premium games.
• LeoVegas Live Casino – The live casino has loads of tables for various games. It has titles from Evolution Gaming, Playtech, and other developers. However, the main attraction is Chambre Separee, a room with LeoVegas exclusive live tables.
• LeoVegas Sports – The sportsbook at LeoVegas has a surprising number of events. The bookmaker lists matches for tens of sports, including tennis, football, ice hockey, and basketball. The interface is a bit different but fairly intuitive.

Betfair

Brief History

Betfair was founded in 2000. It was the first betting company to back an English football team as an official sponsor. In 2007, Betfair Radio went live on the site and via telephone. It broadcasted horse racing results and commentary.

In 2011, Betfair moved its headquarters from London to Gibraltar due to local regulations. It wasn’t until 2012 that Betfair launched an online sportsbook with fixed odds.

In 2015, Betfair merged with Paddy Power, resulting in Paddy Power Betfair. The new entity is based in Dublin, Ireland.

Brand Valuation

The Betfair brand is among the top 25 gambling brands in the world. It is estimated to be worth around $668 million.

No Deposit Bonus Offer

The no deposit bonus offer at Betfair Casino is 50 free spins on selected games. It is only available in UK and Ireland. New players need to register on the site and opt-in to claim the offer. Each spin is worth €0.10, and the winnings are in cash with no wagering required.

Best Features

• Betfair Exchange – The main Betfair product is the online betting exchange. Users can bet against other people and benefit from great odds. The selection is very impressive, with thousands of markets available daily.
• Betfair Sports – The online sportsbook follows the traditional recipe with fixed odds for sporting events. The focus here is mostly on European sports, including horse racing.
• Betfair Casino and Slots – Betfair Casino has games from Playtech. However, the Slots section provides a lot more gaming options from various other providers. There is also a live casino section where players can take their seats and follow the action in real-time.

PokerStars

Brief History

PokerStars is now the largest online poker room in Europe, leading by a massive margin. It started in 2001 as a beta poker site without real money options. Later the same year, PokerStars started accepting real money betting.

In 2009, PokerStars set the record for the largest online poker tournament with 200,000 players. It broke that record in 2013 with a $1 buy-in event that had 225,000 participants.

In 2014, Amaya bought PokerStars for $4.9 billion and changed the name to The Stars Group. A couple of years later, PokerStars added casino games to the platform.

Brand Valuation

The PokerStars brand was valued at $633 million in 2020.

No Deposit Bonus Offer

PokerStars Casino has a welcome bonus of 100 free spins. However, the deal requires a minimum deposit of $10 with the bonus code CASINO100. The spins are available on selected games and expire after seven days.

Best Features

• Biggest Online Poker Room – Many advantages come with being the largest online poker room. These include massive traffic across different variants of the game, large tournaments, and more. New players can benefit from a $600 poker welcome package.
• PokerStars Casino – While not as popular as the poker room, PokerStars Casino is worth checking out. It has selected games from major studios and includes plenty of exclusives. You can find a massive collection of options here.
• PokerStars Sports – The online sportsbook provided by PokerStars is available in selected markets. It has a clean interface and surprisingly good coverage.

PaddyPower

Brief History

The Irish bookmaker Paddy Power was founded in 1988. It started with a few betting shops, and by 2006, it had almost 200 outlets. The company made a reputation for itself for having odds on special events. It also invested in amusing but controversial advertisements over the years.

In 2015, Paddy Power agreed to a merger with rival Betfair.

Brand Valuation

In 2020, Paddy Power had a brand valuation of $699 million, up 15% from the previous year.

No Deposit Bonus Offer

PaddyPower Games has a sign-up offer of 100 free spins. Players in the UK and Ireland can register using the code PGCTV1 to claim it. The 100 spins are available on the Daily Jackpot Slots. The winnings have no wagering requirements.

Best Features

• PaddyPower Sports – The sportsbook remains the main Paddy Power product online.
• Games and Vegas – The two sections for casino games give players a great selection of gaming options.
• PaddyPower Poker – As part of the iPoker Network, PaddyPower Poker has good traffic and plenty of promos.

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