Wynn

Horse

Pacific

United

Online

<p><strong>Sports betting is expected to continue its growth across the globe in the next five years. Yet this may slow despite some strong drivers in the sector.</strong></p> 
<p>Sitting down to watch your favourite team is easier than ever. Think of how your streaming services and channels provide hundreds of games and sports at the flick of a button. This method of consumption has been a major change in our lifestyle, with the digital world giving us endless choices and accessibility. Think about how you can order food for the game quickly and get it delivered, or check up on your favourite teams from a portal in the palm of your hands. Sports betting has followed suit, and the digital sector will help it grow even more over the next few years.</p> 
<h2 id="the-astronomical-revenue-forecasts-for-sports-betting">The Astronomical Revenue Forecasts for Sports Betting</h2> 
<p>The next five years will be crucial for sports betting. Data obtained from ResearchandMarkets predicts a growth rate of 10.54% in the run-up to 2030. This will take the industry’s total global revenue from USD $155.423 billion at the last count in 2025, to $256.515 billion in 2030.</p> 
<p>There have also been changes in hold percentages. This is the figure that estimates how much of a wager is retained by sportsbooks and correlates to their profitability. Between 2022 and 2023, it rose from 8.1 percent to 9.1 percent in the US and is expected to make marginal gains.</p> 
<p>The sector now employs 1,147,523 people worldwide, though this does include the casino sector as well. There are also many third parties who benefit from the industry, such as software developers and webmasters. Sites like&nbsp;<a href="https://casinobonusca.com/">Casino Bonus</a>&nbsp;have become extremely popular, ranking and reviewing websites based on a range of factors. This has helped improve the quality of operators alongside increasing legislation.&nbsp;</p> 
<h2 id="the-patchwork-picture-of-us-igaming-growth">The Patchwork Picture of US iGaming Growth</h2> 
<p>Growth in this period is coming from many places, but in the past has mainly been due to changing regulatory landscapes. Since 2023, sports betting has become legal in 36 US states. Many of these have had a huge impact when joining the market. Ohio, for example, became the fourth biggest national market within a few months of opening, raking in USD $936.6 million.</p> 
<p>Eight states allow sports betting in person only, either at tracks or designated gambling establishments. There are still 11 states that do not permit it anywhere, either physically or online. Many of these seem unlikely to change in the near future due to complex regulatory systems and opposition.</p> 
<p>California is a prime example of this. In 2022, two bills were proposed to amend the law on betting. The first would have allowed sports betting and dice games on its tribal territories. A second would have allowed online sports betting in commercial card rooms. However, this came under intense scrutiny, with opposition for and against arriving from the tribes, card rooms, the public and iGaming companies. Neither bill was passed, so it remains illegal to bet on sports there.</p> 
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dOZIF4uMBDc?si=rfiXe-2zTxIDjM-V" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p> 
<p>&nbsp;</p> 
<h2 id="european-legislation-leads-the-way">European Legislation Leads the Way</h2> 
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-86340 size-full" src="https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/05510d59-9657-4579-81fd-8db2bf575470-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/05510d59-9657-4579-81fd-8db2bf575470-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/05510d59-9657-4579-81fd-8db2bf575470-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/05510d59-9657-4579-81fd-8db2bf575470-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/05510d59-9657-4579-81fd-8db2bf575470-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/05510d59-9657-4579-81fd-8db2bf575470-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/05510d59-9657-4579-81fd-8db2bf575470-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"></p> 
<p>The European market is expected to grow by 9.9% in the run-up to 2030.&nbsp;</p> 
<p>Soccer is one of the main sports that is bet upon. In fact, European football leagues are a key driver for growth in many different areas, with Europe and Asia also betting heavily on them. Teams such as Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are beloved across the globe.</p> 
<p>There are plenty of other sports that are extremely popular. Tennis is well-fancied, and major&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sportico.com/business/commerce/2025/wimbledon-tournament-annual-revenue-1234861514/">tournaments like Wimbledon</a>&nbsp;attract spikes in betting. This is a competition that makes $555 million just at the finals. Obviously, betting on it is popular.</p> 
<p>Horse racing is also much bigger in Europe than in the US, especially in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Estimates are that UK betting operators make £771 million a year. As well as regular meetings, they also have huge events such as Royal Ascot and The Grand National. In relation to the latter, £250 million was bet on last year’s meeting alone.&nbsp;</p> 
<h2 id="moving-forward-in-the-asia-pacific-region">Moving Forward in the Asia Pacific Region</h2> 
<p>Asia Pacific markets were valued at $28.09 billion in 2023. Predictions are that they will experience a growth rate of 11.5% in the run-up to 2030. While gambling is often prevalent, this area has a high percentage of countries in which it is still taboo for several religious and cultural reasons. This could also be a huge barrier to growth: Just because regulation occurs, it does not always mean society will move with it and use the services on offer.&nbsp;</p> 
<p>The anomaly in this region, and a large one, is Australia. While it does have a tightly legislated market, sports betting is huge. It is expected to reach US $5,096.8 million in revenue by 2030. This is a compound annual growth rate of 13.2%.</p> 
<p>There may be some legislation changes afoot in the country that curb this. Recent studies have shown that sports betting has grown by 60% in the younger age group, with the country having the highest gambling losses globally. Data from a Household, Labour and Income Dynamics survey found that a 57.6% increase occurred in young men’s gambling in just seven years.</p> 
<p>As a result, some experts have called for tighter regulations. Gerard Daffy is a veteran of the country’s sports and betting industry. In a recent interview, he stated that there were too many introductory sign-up offers and bonuses and this was saturating the market. He added, “160 betting operators in Australia is way too many, there’s going to be casualties there because if you start up, the only way you can get a client today off one of those others, is to offer them money, whether it be in bonus bets, etc.” As a country that had previously banned all forms of gambling advertising, it may see tighter controls going forward.&nbsp;</p> 
<h2 id="key-drivers-across-the-world">Key Drivers Across the World</h2> 
<p>In the United States, betting on the NFL remains the dominant form of wagering. Out of those making bets, 60% place them on this sport with events like the Super Bowl being a huge revenue driver. Second to this is the NBA, and around 58% of bettors make wagers on this. Major League Baseball follows with 53%. Other popular sports include NASCAR, boxing, horse racing, MMA and a few others.</p> 
<p>There are many emerging markets as well, such as eSports. Some statistics have suggested as many as 23% of bettors place wagers on this. They are competitive video games, and they can now be found on many gambling platforms. However, this does require increased regulatory clarity to fully develop. Some states, such as Arizona, Connecticut and Montana, have legalized it. Other states, such as Minnesota and Oklahoma, have outright banned it. Yet in some states like New York and Vermont, it remains unclear.</p> 
<p>In some parts of the world, mobile adoption rates and connectivity will also be key drivers. Africa’s sports betting market is predicted to hit $3 billion per year in revenue, and though countries have individual regulations on this, many are leaning towards regulation for the taxable benefits it can bring.</p> 
<p>A perfect example can be found in Nigeria. It has the fastest-growing market in Africa and has made moves towards a legalized sports betting framework. It also has a young, tech-savvy population with around 60% of its 220 million inhabitants under the age of 25. Smartphone penetration rates vary drastically depending on the study, but expectations are that it will increase by +94.54 percent by 2029, according to Statista. Its gross gaming revenue has increased 24% every year since 2020, and is now up by $1.5 billion. Estimates are that around 60 million people use online iGaming in the country.</p> 
<p>Globally, it seems the major markets are all but cornered, and growth will come, though from more surprising places. The Gulf region, for example, which is typically closed off due to religious beliefs, is beginning to open up. At the end of 2025, the UAE launched its first online casino and sports betting platform. Named Play971, it has full backing from the government and is licensed by their General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority. This follows the go-ahead and breaking ground of a huge new casino complex run by Wynn Resorts.</p> 
<h2 id="the-main-barriers-to-further-growth">The Main Barriers to Further Growth</h2> 
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-86341 size-full" src="https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/8acb62cb-bfb1-4765-b4cb-a276858539d9-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/8acb62cb-bfb1-4765-b4cb-a276858539d9-scaled.jpeg 1707w, https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/8acb62cb-bfb1-4765-b4cb-a276858539d9-200x300.jpeg 200w, https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/8acb62cb-bfb1-4765-b4cb-a276858539d9-683x1024.jpeg 683w, https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/8acb62cb-bfb1-4765-b4cb-a276858539d9-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/8acb62cb-bfb1-4765-b4cb-a276858539d9-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/8acb62cb-bfb1-4765-b4cb-a276858539d9-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px"></p> 
<p>While regulatory scrutiny remains a key driver for growth, it can also be one of the sector’s biggest hindrances. Many counties are capping the growth in advertising or outright banning sports betting altogether.</p> 
<p>India is one such country. With over 1.4 billion people living there, its market was expected to reach USD $10,776.7 million in revenue by 2030. At one point its input accounted for 15% of all iGaming traffic. Yet in the middle of 2025, the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill was rapidly passed. This prevented any sort of online game for monetary stakes, including sports wagering. Advertising and payment processing were also outlawed.</p> 
<p>The national cricket team was left scrambling for a new sponsor after their major benefactor, Dream11, had to pull out. The government’s reason extended not just to psychological stress and losses caused by problem gambling, but also to money laundering, tax evasion and even the financing of terrorism.</p> 
<p>Thus,&nbsp;<a href="https://walletinvestor.com/magazine/15-best-cloud-based-accounting-tools-for-2026-revolutionize-your-financial-strategy-with-ai-and-blockchain">emerging markets</a>&nbsp;are continuing to arrive. This will grow sports betting revenue across the globe, even as the established markets bottom out and saturate. The huge levels of growth experienced over the last few years may not be the same, but there is still room for more.&nbsp;</p> 
<p>&nbsp;</p>

Sports Betting Market Forecast 2026–2030: Revenue, Growth & Key Drivers

Table of Contents

WalletInvestor

Other articles published on Jan 22, 2026

Can HBAR Hit $1? What It Would Take

JasmyChain Completes Mainnet Migration And Enters Production

What to Expect from Bee Network in 2026

Kaisar Network Explained: Earn From Your Idle Hardware

BNB Chain Launches $650k Trenching Season Across Five Trading Platforms

What Is Pi Wallet: Explore How It Works, How to Get Started, and More

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!