US Online Casino Growth in 2025: A Year in Review and What Comes Next?
Is the best still yet to come?
We have to ask the question: “Can it get any better?” After a record-setting year for US online casinos, can the market sustain this level of growth? Revenues, player registrations, and mobile engagement have all reached new highs! Is it a blip or a trend? Would it be a safe bet to put your money on further growth, or is it time to stick?
Well, if the expert forecasters are to be believed, online casinos have captured the US’s imaginations, wallets, and free time and will continue to do so. While only seven states have legalized online casino gambling for real money, there is massive interest and growth in this sector. While online sports betting was legal in 32 states (plus Washington, DC) in 2025, it accounted for around a 20% share of total revenue. Online casino gambling (despite operating from a much smaller base) accounted for 13.5%. Land-based casinos account for the largest market share, but digital gaming is changing the picture and catching up fast.
Not so bright on the Strip
2025 was a year that saw the continued decline in retail and tourism revenue for Las Vegas, with visitors for the first half of the year down 7.3% from the same period the previous year, and June was down 11.3%. There was a full ‘slump’ underway by the end of the year, with thousands of jobs lost in the leisure and hospitality and retail sectors. Interestingly, it was tourism (rather than gambling revenue) that was severely affected. Statewide gaming revenue increased slightly from the previous year, but The Strip experienced several months of decline. The main cause of the decline was a drop in international tourism, with Canadians in particular staying away from the United States due to tariff tensions.
Protection comes in many forms
An interesting observation is to look at New Jersey, which is also home to a famous gambling destination, Atlantic City. However, unlike Nevada, New Jersey’s gambling revenue saw a year-on-year increase of 10.4% (until the end of November, as figures were not publicly available beyond that at the time of writing), reaching a total of £.6.38 billion. The driving force was online casino gaming, which outstripped sports betting and was almost equal to land-based casino revenue. In New Jersey, online casino revenue jumped by 22.2% year on year.
Nevada might have thought that by stopping all forms of online gambling except poker, it could protect its land-based assets, but New Jersey’s pragmatic approach seems to be paying dividends now. Nevada initially allowed internet gambling but then restricted it to online poker only (to protect its land-based venues). New Jersey embraced online casino gambling but required all platforms to work in conjunction with its land-based casinos. The latter approach seems to be paying off now. However, as 2026 has been heralded as the year we all go analogue again, the pendulum could swing back in the opposite direction.
Experts do not predict a slowdown
However, by all expert accounts, the surge will continue. The US igaming market is forecast to be worth between $10.8 billion and $13.7 billion by 2027. The primary drivers of growth are smartphone penetration and the demand for convenient, immersive entertainment. As well as real-money casinos, social and sweepstakes casinos have made online casino games widely available (though some states, like New York and California, cracked down hard on sweepstakes casinos in 2025).
Finding the best across the country
Wherever you live in the USA, it is likely that there is an online casino game available to play. The dilemma will be which are the best and which to avoid – how do players find reputable platforms? Fortunately, it is relatively easy to find the best online casino by using the services of a comparison sites. The online casino business might be relatively new for many Americans, but some services have decades of experience in the game. They are totally independent and do all the behind-the-scenes digging and checking, so that players can match their preferences to a casino that delivers for them.
The best online casino platforms are the ones that will see the most growth over the coming years, as people and reviewers spread the word. With so many options, people can try them out until they find what suits them best. For now, the online casino market is not one dominated by a small number of operators. Unlike so much of the tech world, this is pretty unusual but means customers have a genuine choice.
AI and humans working hand in hand
There is no doubt that 2025 was the year the world really woke up to artificial intelligence (AI), and in many industries, people feared that the machines were taking over. As online gambling has always been centered in technology, the challenges and opportunities for the sector were different from those of others.
For years, people have been happily playing against the technology, battling against random number generators that power the games, and pitting their wits against virtual croupiers. AI has been working away in the background to deliver customer services, site security, and fast payment options. The algorithms have been serving up a menu of games curated for an individual’s taste, and bonuses are tailored to tempt people to play.
In 2025 and into 2026, it is human interaction that has really caught the imagination in the world of online gambling. Through the apparent wizardry of technology, players no longer have to play animated versions of games but are transported to the casino floor to play their favorite games against a live dealer. The action all happens in real time (or so close to real time that it feels instantaneous). There is no need for any peripheral equipment, and the technology is so good that it works on mobile devices as well.
Back to the future
While the online slots remain the favorite option for most online players, live dealer gaming has rekindled interest in the more traditional table games like roulette, blackjack, and dice. Players even play alongside human competitors, so there is a social aspect to the gameplay as well. The developers are not just rehashing old formulas but reimaging the classics to create brand-new experiences. TV-style quiz games are also making an appearance. The holy grail will be the live dealer slot game – who knows how that will work, but when someone clever and creative figures out how to make it happen, it could be win/win for players and operators alike.