For iGaming, 2025 was not just a year of growth, but a structural turning point. Against the backdrop of online and mobile scaling, the industry shifted its focus from marketing and expansion to infrastructure: payments, compliance, risk management, and data.
In essence, in 2025, iGaming finally began to function as a financial technology market rather than just an entertainment segment.
Market scale and dynamics
The global gambling market has come close to the $500 billion mark, confirming its status as one of the largest digital industries.
In the US, iGaming showed particularly strong growth, with revenue in the third quarter of 2025 increasing by almost 30% year-on-year. At the same time, the offline segment began to lose ground, with tourist traffic to Las Vegas declining by 12%, reflecting the ongoing shift towards online gaming.
According to forecasts, by 2030, approximately 1.9 billion people will be participating in gambling, which is already putting pressure on infrastructure and regulation today.
Operational restructuring of the industry
The growth in volumes and transactions has made operational processes a key factor in competitiveness.
In 2025, operators focused on:
- KYC and AML
- anti-fraud systems
- payment and banking processes
These functions are being actively optimized through automation and the introduction of AI. The share of manual user and transaction checks is decreasing, and the speed of verification and payment processing is becoming a critical indicator of service quality.
In fact, the payment infrastructure is becoming a product element that directly affects retention and LTV.
Behavioral and product changes
Players have become noticeably more demanding. In 2025, when choosing an operator, users are increasingly evaluating:
- terms and conditions for withdrawing funds
- available payment and banking methods
- transparency of processes
The mobile segment has finally established itself as dominant: 71.7% of all activity occurs on mobile devices.
Major US operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel are actively implementing AI in KYC, anti-fraud, and responsible gaming tools. At the same time, automation is accompanied by a reorganization of operational teams and roles within companies.
Related segments and alternative formats
Alongside classic iGaming, related and alternative areas are developing:
Esports betting continues to attract a young audience and serves as an entry point into the industry.
Sweepstakes casinos are used in jurisdictions with limited iGaming regulation.
Prediction markets are creating an increasingly acute conflict between federal and state regulation in the US.
Crypto and Web3 remain niche solutions, but raise additional questions for regulators and payment providers.
Regulatory environment
Despite growth, regulation remains fragmented. Online casinos are legal in only seven states in the US, and AML, reporting, and advertising requirements continue to tighten.
Major platforms, including Google and YouTube, are tightening gambling promotion rules, which directly affects operators’ marketing strategies. Against this backdrop, alternative formats continue to evolve in response to regulatory restrictions.
The Player of 2025
The user profile has also changed.
Players are more knowledgeable about the differences between operators and make more informed choices. Terms and conditions, transparency, and a reliable payment infrastructure are becoming priorities.
The mobile-first approach is no longer an advantage — it has become the basic standard. At the same time, 58% of the audience aged 18–22 is already involved in betting and gambling, which increases the attention of regulators and operators to responsible gaming issues.
Conclusion
The results of 2025 show that iGaming is becoming less like the classic entertainment industry and more like the financial technology market.
Growth continues, but key changes are taking place at the infrastructure level: payments, compliance, anti-fraud, and risk management. It is this transformation that will form the basis for the industry’s development in 2026 and determine which players will be able to remain competitive in the long term.
