Global Online Casino Market Poised For Record Growth in 2026-2027
- Written by: Sam Coventry
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The global online casino market is heading for yet another pivotal phase in its development. Riding off the back of some steady expansion in the early 2020s, 2026/27 is looking like another growth curve.
Unsurprisingly, many analysts could see this coming, as technology, changing regulations, and mobile optimisation are combining to revolutionise the sector.
Moving forward, let's unpack the major forces poised to drive the coming growth for 2026/27 in the iGaming sector. Alongside, we'll highlight what to expect from iGaming regulations in the EU, Canada and the US.
Key Growth Indicators and Drivers
James Cash Penney, Retail Innovator: “Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.”
Industry trackers and recent market reports all indicate some compound annual growth for online casino gaming. As of 2025, there is an increased customer spend and improved product depth. These depths reflect various aspects of online casino services today.
Gerda Grinova, an expert iGaming analyst has repeatedly discussed lots of newer product innovations taking hold in today's casinos.
Some of them include:
- Live dealer games
- Table game variety
- Diverse themed slots
- Social game titles
Also, according to a report by MarkNtel, the global online gambling market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.12% from 2025 to 2030. A significant portion of this increase is expected to come from online casino gambling alone. Let's press further into the key players for this foreseeable record growth.
Fun Fact: Live dealer games grow faster than any other online casino category, some experts call them the “Netflix of iGaming” because players binge them like shows.
Payments and cashouts
Online casinos are taking payment services, especially withdrawal options to a new level. In a climate where cash is king, this approach is a justified way of reducing onboarding friction for new players. So far, maintaining near-instant deposit and withdrawal rates has proven to be a major conversion lever.
In 2025, the average online casino site already has a decent payment infrastructure, from e-wallets to instant bank rails and even crypto. This enables operators to process cash deposits instantly and withdrawals in a few minutes.
This reality in turn, has spawned a bolder marketing approach for casinos, a key ingredient to generating numbers. Many operators can confidently advertise the convenience of a site enabling instant withdrawals and deliver on it.
The mobile effect
Gambling on mobile devices is rarely a new development but online casinos are all about it. Almost every emerging casino operator is optimised for mobile use across the board. The games are designed to work seamlessly with smartphones and even new players can explore casino content with just a few clicks.
In essence, mobile gaming used to be “important”, now it is just dominant. The whole one-handed game design and short-session play are taking precedence.
The result is more gaming sessions per week and more frequent cash deposits, producing a better turnover. Unfailingly, casinos with the best casual mobile performance will leverage the foreseen 2026/27 growth.
Fun Fact: Over 70% of online casino traffic worldwide now comes from mobile devices, and that share is expected to climb even higher by 2027.
Regulation: US, Canada, EU, what to expect
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO: “Good regulation should be conducive to innovation.”
Where the casino market growth concentrates and how well operators can scale solutions will depend largely on regulatory environments. To that end, we'll take a peek at what the industry can expect from Canada, the EU and the US.
The EU
The EU is reportedly tightening anti-money-laundering obligations, which are a big deal for gambling operators. While this measure could discourage high rollers who drive online casino revenue, it also puts in place clearer rules for cross-border operators.
This means enhanced player protection and transaction monitoring standards. As long as players don't get discouraged from making transactions with the Pound Sterling, all should be well.
Canada
Canada’s provincially regulated online casino markets have grown immensely as a major player in the industry. This model allows for commercial innovation and stable local oversight at the same time.
Since we're expecting provinces to expand licence issuance, the market size is also expected to grow significantly.
United States
While some US states are totally onboard with iGaming, others are yet to join the bandwagon. And, depending on more states passing online gambling laws, there should be a national-scale expansion.