Online Gambling Europe Statistics
According to The American Gaming Association (AGA), the gambling industry in the US is worth $261 billion and supports 1.8 million jobs in 40 states (1); however, gambling has had a difficult (and illegal) history in the USA and it is just up until now that the path is being cleared.
- Online Gambling Europe Statistics Free
- Online Gambling Europe Statistics 2020
- Online Gambling Europe Statistics 2019
Several anti-gambling laws have been in place since the great depression and gaming has been heavily regulated ever since. Some of those regulations haven’t been updated since the 60’s. Despite this, the widespread use of the internet (and online casinos) have made the betting scene change notably and laws have started to shift (2).
Online purchases by internet users increased by 17 percentage points compared with 2009 (Figure 1). Those aged 25-54 had the highest share of online shoppers among internet users up to 2016. In 2015, the youngest age group (16-24) overtook the EU average level, surpassing the level of the 25-54 year age group in 2019. The overall online GGR in Europe is estimated to reach approximately 24.7 billion euros by 2020 and is mostly generated by sports betting, online casinos and online lottery. Poker only accounts for. Since 2008 the gross gambling revenue (GGR) from offline gaming in Europe has stagnated and the online portion keeps increasing. From this online GGR the amount that was generated via mobile. The European online gambling indus-try has been on an impressive upward growth trajectory over the past 12 months. During the period, mobile has become the dominant platform, with operators such as Sky Bet report-ing in excess of 80% of revenues coming through the channel. Casino and sports have been the driving force behind. With the increasing reach of online gambling, those numbers have probably only grown larger in recent years. Some Key Online Gambling Statistics. The global market for online gambling reached around US$45.8 billion in 2017; In The UK, total gross gambling yielr 2017-18 was estimated at £14.5 billion.
Today, the industry faces a rapid growth and increased revenue moving away from the stigma it once held, making it easier for people to access online gaming and betting.
Gambling Revenues in the USA
USA gambling revenues increased to over $160 billion in 2018. Now that sports betting is legal, most gaming experts and financial analysts predict the total revenues for US betting each year will top $200 billion. Whether it’s a lottery ticket, slot machines, sports bets, bingo, or poker, Americans love to gamble.
As each year passes, US state governments expand legalized and regulated games of chance, which encourages more gambling. 2018 was no different. Below is a breakdown of the revenue generated by each form of betting each year.
INDUSTRY | 2017 GROSS REVENUES | 2018 GROSS REVENUES |
---|---|---|
Commercial Casinos | $41.2 Billion | $51.4 Billion |
Tribal Casinos | $31.945 Billion | $32.801 Billion |
Poker Rooms | $1.9 Billion | $1.9 Billion |
Lottery Revenues | $80.55 Billion | $72 Billion |
Legal Bookmaking | $248 Million | $430.6 Million |
US Online Gambling | $247.5 Million | $306.5 Million |
Pari-Mutuel | $295 Million | $299 Million |
Charitable Games/Bingo | $2.15 Billion | $2.1 Billion |
Total Revenue | $158.54 Billion | $161.24 Billion |
USA Casino Revenues
US commercial casinos generated $41.2 billion in 2017, a 3.7% increase year-to-year from 2016 and a new record for gross gaming revenues for US commercial casinos. New casinos in Maryland and New York added to the increased revenues in 2017. MGM National Harbor in Maryland was the most successful new casinos, but Del Lago Resorts, Rivers Casino, and Resorts World Catskills in New York state also contributed.
In all, commercial casinos generated $51,395,562,664 in revenues in 2018. The total represents a 3.5% increase over 2017. Commercial casinos sustained 737,450 jobs and paid $34.334 billion in worker income. The Las Vegas Strip generated $6.59 billion in gaming revenues in 2018, making it the top destination. Atlantic City came in second with $2.51 billion, which shows a strong 5-year bounce back from its $2.1 billion in 2014. Chicagoland, Baltimore-Washington DC, and New York City finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th among commercial casino markets.
USA Tribal Casino Revenues
The National Indian Gaming Council still has not released full tribal casino statistics, so the NIGC’s 2016 gross gaming revenues are the most recent official revenue statistics. In 2016, America’s tribal casinos generated $31.195 million in gross gaming revenues. That is up nearly $1.3 billion from 2015, which itself increased $1.4 billion from 2014. If one projected similar growth year-to-year from 2016 to 2017, one might expect to see gross gaming revenues in the range of $33.3 billion for 2017. To avoid speculation, we list the 2016 official statistics. The NIGC releases the previous year’s figures in June or July each year, so check back for the latest results.
Tribal casinos generated $32.801 billion in 2018 — a 3.5% increase over 2017. At its current pace, the tribal casino industry should overtake commercial casino revenues by the year 2030. Like the commercial gambling industry, a handful of tribal casinos launched sportsbooks.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians opened sports betting at their three land-based casinos, while the Pueblo of Santa Ana opened a sportsbook at Santa Ana Star Casino near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The bookmakers’ success could open the door for many other tribal sportsbooks across the United States.
US Poker Room Revenues
Nevada poker room revenues showed less than 1% growth, as gross gaming revenues were $118.46 million. The 2017 poker rake was $117.7 million. The Nevada figures were a minor miracle, considering that several Nevada poker rooms closed in the past year. MGM Resorts closed the Mirage poker room in February 2017, while the Hard Rock Las Vegas poker room closed in March 2017 and Luxor cardroom closed in May 2017. (The cardrooms for the Linq, Eastside Cannery, The Plaza, and Aliante Casino closed in 2016.)
Atlantic City’s seven poker rooms added $28.38 million in gross gaming revenues in 2017. Pennsylvania’s live poker revenues equaled $60 million. MGM National Harbor in Maryland collected $44.5 million in poker rake alone last year, which was the vast bulk of Maryland poker revenues in 2017. New York’s new live poker rooms, on the other hand, contributed only $6.7 million to the nation’s live poker revenue total. It is difficult to calculate accurately the live poker revenues for America’s 6,100+ live poker rooms. Tribal casinos contain many card rooms and they do not have to report their earnings to states. Thus, it is likely that some poker revenues might be listed under tribal casino statistics.
Nevada poker rooms increased their total rake from $118.45 million to $120.1 million. On the other hand, Atlantic City poker revenues dropped from $28.38 million in 2017 to $27.028 million in 2018. Pennsylvania’s live poker revenues remained in the $60 million range. MGM National Harbor remained high with over $45 million in poker rake, while the New York state live card rooms continued with a week haul with a little over $7 million in revenues. As always, it’s difficult to gauge total poker revenues, because tribal casinos include their poker rake with their other casino games.
Ultimately, the official US poker room revenues remained steady at $1.9 billion. 2018 showed the US poker industry holding steady after two years of decline. Fewer Las Vegas casinos have card rooms than they did ten years ago, but 2018 did not have any major Vegas poker rooms close. 2016 and 2017 showed a marked decline. MGM Resorts closed the Mirage poker room in February 2017, Hard Rock Las Vegas’s poker room closed in March 2017, and the Luxor cardroom closed in May 2017. In 2016, the cardrooms for The Plaza, the LINQ, Eastside Cannery, and Aliante Casino closed. Still, the United States has over 6,100 poker rooms, so the revenue stream remained steady throughout 2018.
New Jersey Online Gambling Revenues
US online gambling produced $247.5 million in revenues in 2017. New Jersey’s online gambling industry continues to grow. In 2017, the combined revenue of Atlantic City’s online casinos and poker sites was $245 million. That’s a 21% increase from 2016 when New Jersey’s iGaming niche generated $195 million. Delaware added only $2.4 million in online gambling revenues, which was an 18% decline.
Mike Lawton of the Nevada Gaming Control Board said online poker revenues are included in total poker revenues for the state, so it is hard to get official statistics for Nevada online poker. Given the fact, only two Nevada online poker sites exist and state regulators try to hide the small revenue stream, one can assume Nevada’s iPoker stats are tiny. Nevada has about twice the online gamblers as Delaware, so $5 million is a safe assumption. Those poker revenues are not included in our figures, though, because they are included in Nevada’s overall poker stats.
New Jersey grabbed the lion’s share of legal US online gambling revenues in 2018 with $298.7 million. Five years into its experiment with online gambling, New Jersey’s online casino and poker portals continue to grow apace. Delaware and Nevada both have regulated online poker, but despite the Multi-State Internet Gambling Association (MSIGA), their revenues were negligible. Pennsylvania will be a huge factor in 2019, but its online poker and casino industry was still getting off the ground in 2018.
Interstate online gambling faces a severe test in 2019. The U.S. Department of Justice declared in January 2019 that interstate online poker is illegal under federal law, striking a blow to the MSIGA pact between Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey. The New Hampshire Lottery sued because its online lotto ticket sales are endangered by the 2019 DOJ opinion, while New Jersey and Pennsylvania filed their own lawsuit to protect their online poker and casino industries. Whatever happens with the legal cases, US online gambling revenue growth should be significant in the coming year, because Pennsylvania’s iGaming industry launches.
Online Gambling Europe Statistics Free
US Lottery Revenues
Like the tribal casino revenues, compiling an official list of lottery revenues takes a bit longer each year, because of the patchwork of state-run lotteries and multistate lottery associations. In 2016, US lottery ticket sales were $80.5 billion. The projected figures for 2017 are expected to exceed $85 billion, due to upticks in the sale of scratchcards and the increases in the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot sizes. Scratch-off tickets are the biggest contributor, with the Powerball and Mega Millions multi-state lottery association games contributing the second and third-most to the revenue pool.
New York state had the biggest lottery ticket sales, with over $10 billion. California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Texas were next in line. Each of those four states had between $5 billion and $6.5 billion in lottery sales.
The combined revenues of US lotteries for 2018 sit around the $72 billion mark. The U.S. Census Bureau releases the official lottery revenue statistics each year. So far, the Census Bureau has not released official 2018 lottery revenues. The 2017 lottery total was $71.826 billion, while the 2016 lottery statistics were $72.649 billion. That shows a regression of nearly $800 million from 2016 to 2017, though that number reflects a statistical anomaly in lottery drawings more than a loss of interest in the state and multistate lotteries.
State politicians are leery of allowing legal online gambling, though, because they fear it would harm lottery sales. Departing Michigan Gov. Bill Snyder vetoed an online poker and casino bill in December 2018, because he said lottery taxes are higher and iGaming would hurt lottery sales (thus tax revenues). Given the recent trends, it’s a safe bet that US lottery revenues in 2018 were around $72 billion for the year. Mega Millions and Powerball drawings continue to dominate national attention, while their revenues increase year to year.
United States Legal Sportsbooks
The revenue figures for US legal sportsbooks came from Nevada and Delaware in 2017. Nevada bookmakers won $248 million from sports bettors in 2017, which was a record year. New forms of betting on eSports helped, though the growing impact of William Hill USA on the Nevada sports betting scene helped. Even hockey betting was up in 2017, thanks to the inclusion of the Las Vegas Golden Knights to the NHL. The Golden Knights’ surprising first-year performance helped drive local sports betting, though it was general NFL, Super Bowl, MLB, NBA, and March Madness betting which generated the most revenues.
Delaware, which had legalized sports lotteries, generated the remaining $6 million in sports betting revenues. Delaware’s sports lotteries require players to make parlay bets of 3 or more games. Delaware sportsbook revenues should increase significantly in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s repeal of the PASPA sports betting ban. Delaware plans to open legal sportsbooks at Dover Downs, Delaware Park, and Harrington Raceway on June 5, 2018. New Jersey sportsbooks at the Atlantic City casinos and Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport should follow suit quickly. US sports betting revenues should have a big jump in 2018.
Given the landmark US Supreme Court decision to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) as unconstitutional, US sports betting revenues increased significantly. Several states (New Jersey, Delaware, Mississippi, West Virginia) legalized sports betting in the months after the May 14 SCOTUS decision. Led by New Jersey, the new sports gambling jurisdictions generated $129.6 million in a little over 6 months of activity.
Meanwhile, Nevada benefited from the additional media coverage given to sportsbooks, so it generated $301.0 million. In all, the legal US sports betting industry generated $430.6 million in revenues – a $182 million increase from 2017. The number should increase significantly in 2019, when New Jersey and Mississippi feature a full year of sportsbook operations. Pennsylvania bookmakers also launched in late 2018 and early 2019, which should boost numbers greatly.
US Pari-Mutuel Racebook Revenues
Pari-mutuel racebooks generated $300 million in revenues in 2018. Pari-mutuel wagering is the legal term for betting on horse racing and dog racing. Bettors receive winning for the thoroughbreds, harness racers, or greyhounds which finish in the top three of a particular race (win-show-place). Pari-mutuel wagering also includes a variety of trifecta bets and parlay bets, which pay out more, but hit for the bettor less often.
Dog racing now is allowed in only 5 US states, as the Florida electorate voted to ban greyhound racing (Amendment 13) in the coming years. Most greyhound tracks continue to act as off-track betting facilities (OTBs), offering simulcasting and wagers at over 200 race venues worldwide. Churchill Downs, site of the annual Kentucky Derby, continues to generate almost 60% of the racebook revenue ($175 million) in the United States. Besides the world-famous Louisville-area horse track, Churchill Downs Incorporated owns racetracks and even a few land-based casinos across the United States.
The US pari-mutuel racebook industry must find new ways to drive customers or die a slow death in America. Race betting declined significantly in the past generation due to competition from the lottery, tribal casinos, online casinos, and mobile betting. After the US Supreme Court repealed the federal ban on sports betting (PASPA) in May 2018, sports betting should grow significantly in the coming 5 to 10 years. US pari-mutuel racebooks face another major competitor, so they’ll need to find innovative ways to bet on horse and dog racing or that $300 million total will decline.
Online Gambling Europe Statistics 2020
For generations, charitable bingo halls have generated cash for civic organizations, veterans groups, religious groups, fraternal organizations, firefighters, and other charity organizations. Charitable bingo remains a major focus, but organizations also hold raffles, poker nights, and sell pull-tab games to the public.
As lottery betting and tribal casinos have increased over the past two decades, charitable gaming and bingo participation has decreased in many states. Charitable gaming is a major source of fundraising for nonprofit organizations in the United States. The numbers haven’t declined across the board, as Michigan’s poker nights (millionaires clubs) increased greatly from 2002 to 2012, due to making it easier to attain a charitable gaming license. Even in Michigan, though, the decline since 2012 has been significant. Meanwhile, Minnesota increased its charitable gaming revenues significantly, as part of a plan to fund the Minnesota Vikings’ football stadium.
As the US population has increased in the past 16 years, the number of charitable organizations holding bingo nights and raffles has increased. That means the overall decline in charitable gaming revenues was slight, from $2.2 billion to $2.15 billion, though the decline in revenue-per-venue and real money value due to inflation is stark.
Each US state organizes and regulates charitable gaming in their own way. Groups pays taxes to the states, but otherwise remain coy about their fundraising. Different states have different terms for their games (Millionaire’s clubs, pickle games, fish games), which adds to the confusion. This makes a completely accurate total of charitable gaming revenues more an estimate than an official tally. Charitable gaming revenues stayed in the $2.1 billion range for 2018.
What Is Online Gambling in the US?
The gambling industry in the United States is the sum total of all forms of legal betting. US gambling includes commercial and tribal casinos, state and multistate lotteries, sportsbooks and racebooks, real money online casinos and poker sites, as well as charitable gaming and bingo halls.
US gambling statistics do not include unregulated online gambling, local bookies, organized poker games in your neighborhood, office pools, fantasy leagues, or March Madness brackets. Because such gaming is unregulated and untaxed, it is hard to get accurate statistics for them. The American Gaming Association and other groups estimate yearly betting turnover of illegal gambling, but the AGA’s data is an educated guess.
In this US gambling report, Online United States Casinos stick to the facts. Most of the statistics below are compiled from state regulatory agencies. Each month, gaming commissions, gaming control boards, and state lotteries across the United States produce gambling statistics. We’ve collected the latest gaming data and compiled it into several gambling categories, which we present below.
Is Gambling Legal in the US?
Many forms of gambling are legal in the United States, but no form of gambling is legal everywhere. Because the United States is a constitutional republic with a federated system of government, the USA is a patchwork of state and federal gaming laws. That makes gambling legality complicated in the United States. What it does mean is Americans who love to bet can find places to live with permissive gambling laws, while Americans who dislike gambling can find states where gambling is 100% banned.
In Which States Is Gambling Legal?
US gambling laws are complicated because each state deals with its own gaming interests and social mores. Nevada is the most pro-gambling states in the United States, as Las Vegas and Reno are gambling destinations. At the same time, Nevada is one of a handful of states which bans lotteries — because it would compete with the billion-dollar resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. Kentucky bans casino betting, though it is the center of the United States horse racing (and horse betting) industries.
As a general rule, legalized gambling has expanded greatly in the past 25 to 30 years. After the Indian Gambling Regulation Act of 1988, tribal casinos expanded to 28 states. California and Oklahoma are two US states with huge tribal gaming industries, but dozens of others exist. The expansion of tribal gaming caused US states to liberalize their commercial casino industries, so states like Illinois, Ohio, Arizona, and Kansas expanded casinos greatly. Pennsylvania legalized casino betting at racetracks and now collects more gaming tax revenues than any states besides Nevada.
Lottery gambling has grown exponentially, too. The Powerball and Mega Millions have the biggest lottery jackpots in the world. State lotteries’ scratch-card tickets generate the most tax revenue. Meanwhile, online and mobile casino gambling and poker betting has grown in popularity. While many Internet gaming sites are unregulated, legal online/mobile gambling exists in 4 states and is expected to be legalized in other US states in the coming years.
Utah and Hawaii are the only two US states which have a 100% ban on all forms of gambling. In Utah or Hawaii, you can’t visit a casino, buy a lottery ticket, make a sports bet, or even play in a bingo hall. All 48 other U.S. states have some form of legalized gambling. In the USA, many southern states restrict gambling significantly, because of the social conservative values in many states. Despite that general statement, all southern states can’t be pegged as anti-gambling.
Alabama bans gambling (even lotteries) in anything but tribal casinos, while Mississippi has dozens of casinos on the Gulf Coast and Tunica County. South Carolina bans most forms of gambling, while Florida allows expanded gambling for the Seminole Tribe and even 8 counties throughout the state. Texas bans all but lottery betting and horse racing, while its neighbors, Oklahoma and Louisiana, allow casino betting; Texans flock to those casinos.
Types of Gambling
Readers might be wondering about the types of gambling that takes place inside the United States. Below is a glossary list of the betting opportunities Americans have, along with a quick description of each form of gambling. We provide revenue data for each type below.
- Commercial Casinos: Owned by private companies and publicly-traded companies alike. Commercial casinos can be land-based casinos, riverboat casinos, airport casinos, racetrack-casinos (racinos), or casino cruises. Many have Class III or Las Vegs-style slot machines, while others use Class II Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) or Video Gambling Terminals (VGTs).
- Tribal Casinos: Owned by Native American tribal gaming authorities and based on Indian reservation lands. A landmark 1986 US Supreme Court case (Cabazon v. California) stated Native American reservations are sovereign lands (and thus able to house casinos) if they were recognized by the US Department of the Interior’s Indian Affairs Bureau by 1934 or before. The Cabazon case led to the US Congress passing the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which says Indian tribes which reach a gaming compact with the states they are inside can have casino gambling with Class II slot machines. States can tax tribal casinos for the cost of regulation but can tax more, if the state gives special concessions like statewide monopolies on certain gaming types.
- Card Rooms: Card rooms can exist inside or outside a land-based casino. Many Las Vegas Strip casinos and Atlantic City have their own poker rooms. In certain states, commercial card rooms or poker clubs exist. The Bicycle Club, Hollywood Park Casino, and Cameo Club in Los Angeles are a few examples of private card rooms. Tribal casinos like WinStar World Casino, Choctaw Casino, Mohegan Sun, and Foxwoods have poker rooms.
- Charitable Games: Charitable gaming takes many forms. In most places, charitable gaming organizations host bingo nights, but other forms of gambling are allowed. Not-for-profit charitable gaming organizations sometimes host Las Vegas Nights (Millionaire Clubs), raffles, bell jar competitions, pickle card contests, and pull-tab contests. Pickle cards and pull-tab tickets are similar in many ways to a lottery scratch-card. Bell Jar gaming is a kind of raffle.
- Bingo: Bingo is the most popular and widespread form of charitable gaming. Church groups, veterans’ groups, police and firefighter organizations, medical research groups, and civic organizations all host bingo nights. Organized bingo nights might be found in a dedicated bingo hall, a community center, or a VFW outpost; online bingo has become widely popular as well.
- Lotteries: State lotteries have existed since the early days of the United States. During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress funded the war partly with lottery betting. In the latter half of the 20th century, many US states enacted state lotteries to produce public school funding and scholarship funding. Since the 1980s, the multistate lottery associations, Powerball and Mega Millions, have grown to include 44 US states apiece. State lotteries also sell scratch-cards, the best revenue producer.
- Sportsbooks: Legal sportsbooks are found in land-based casinos in Las Vegas. For the past 25 years, sports lotteries are legal in Delaware, Oregon, and Montana. After the US Supreme Court struck down the PASPA federal ban on sports betting in the 46 other US states, any US state can legalize sportsbooks. Delaware and New Jersey plan to open sportsbooks in the coming weeks, while 5 other US states have sportsbook legalization bills in committee. Lawmakers in 13 other US states are discussing the legalization of sports betting.
- Horse Racing: Horse racing has been legal in many US states for generations because betting on horses is considered a less dangerous form of gambling — and one wealthier Americans enjoy. Horse racing, harness racing, and greyhound racing involve pari-mutuel wagering, in which one bettor’s win means other bettors lose. The horse bettor competes against other bettors and not the racebook, though the bookmaker sets the odds based on betting volume for each horse. Off-track betting facilities now exist, with simulcast horse races and betting on historical horse races. Because the horse betting industry has struggled, many states now allow slot machine gambling at horse tracks.
- Online Casinos: Online casinos, poker sites, and sportsbooks were a huge industry in the USA until 2006 when the US Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The UIGEA banned all forms of Internet gambling which were banned for interstate telephone lines under the 1961 Wire Act. From 2007 to 2011, this meant casino sites, online cardrooms, and bookmaker sites. A 2011 US Department of Justice opinion reversed the DOJ’s stance on online casinos and poker sites, so four US states now have legal online casinos and poker sites: New Jersey, Delaware, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. New York, California, and others might follow suit eventually. It is estimated that between 65% to 85% of casino revenue in the US comes from real money slots.
- Smartphone Betting: In most parts of the United States, mobile casino and poker sites are banned or unregulated. Now that sportsbooks are legal, live/in-play smartphone betting apps could become legal. Tom King of the Readyfire smartphone trivia apps says legal US sports betting will transform Android and iOS gaming apps in America.
Other Types of Wagering: Other forms of gambling takes place in the United States. 50 million Americans bet on Super Bowl office pools and March Madness brackets each year. Though it’s illegal, so many people engage in office betting that authorities look the other way in most cases. Fantasy football and fantasy baseball leagues involve small season-long wagers. In over a dozen US states, fantasy sports have been legalized, but in many other states, fantasy sports betting is allowed to happen. Some argue that daily fantasy sports gaming sites like FanDuel and DraftKings are sports wagering, but they exist in a gray area. Over a dozen US states have legalized DFS sites. Jai Alai is a legal form of sports betting in Connecticut and Florida.
Games have been on mobile phones forever. From simple games like Tetris and Snake to mobile versions of Fortnite and Hearthstone, the smartphone is undeniably a gaming platform.
It’s an unlikely result. Smartphones don’t have keyboards, much less joysticks. Gamers crave wall-size screens, not tiny squinty phone LCDs. They want fast CPUs and hot GPUs, not an underpowered system designed for phone calls and text messaging.
No one would have predicted that mobile gaming would become the most profitable part of the gaming industry.
Key findings
- The number of people who play mobile games is expected to reach 2.4 billion in 2019.
- China has approximately 586 million mobile gamers.
- North America is home to 203 million mobile gamers.
- The mobile games industry is currently worth $68.5 billion, amounting to 45% of the total games industry.
- The global games market is slated to reach $196 billion by 2022.
- 63% of mobile gamers are female.
But predictions are often wrong, especially when they’re about the future. Mobile gaming statistics show things have changed. If current trends continue, mobile devices will grow in importance as gaming platforms.
Mobile gaming stats show that mobile gaming already amounts to almost half of all global game revenue – almost double the revenue of PCs and consoles. And mobile gaming has an ever-growing player base. This is a result of the growing availability of cheaper smartphones and the accessibility of mobile games that you can access anytime, anywhere.
The future of gaming is mobile.
Global Mobile Gaming Market Statistics
1. The mobile games industry is currently worth $68.5 billion, and represents 45% of the total games industry.
(Newzoo)
Mobile gaming industry statistics provided by Newzoo, one of the top game and esports analytics companies, tell us that the mobile games industry is currently worth around $68.5 billion dollars, with a 10% year-over-year growth rate. This represents 45% of the global video game industry, which is worth $152.1 billion. Additionally, according to our mobile vs desktop usage statistics, mobile gaming is expected to become a $196 billion market by the end of 2022.
2. The mobile gaming industry is expected to generate $70.3 billion in 2019.
Online Gambling Europe Statistics 2019
(Statista)
Based on mobile gaming statistics for 2019, the global video game market is currently worth almost $150 billion. Mobile gaming is the dominant source of revenue here, amounting to 51% of the global market or $70.3 billion in revenue, Statista says. According to Statista’s mobile gaming market statistics, mobile gaming revenue share will grow to encompass 59% of the market in 2021 – a huge jump from 2012 when it made up only 18% of the market.
3. There are currently 2.2 billion mobile gamers in the world. That number is expected to rise to 2.4 billion by the end of 2019.
(Mediakix)
If anyone had doubts about the scope and potential of mobile gaming, this statistic is sure to cast them away. Data gathered by Mediakix on mobile games market size shows that there are 2.2 billion people playing mobile games worldwide. This amounts to almost 30% of the total world population.
Mobile game revenues are enjoying year-on-year growth of 26.7%, Mediakix says. China will be the largest mobile games market, followed by the US and Japan.
4. US mobile games revenue is expected to reach $10 billion by the end of 2019.
(Statista)
Both the general and mobile gaming markets are expected to keep growing in the upcoming years. Mobile gaming growth statistics show that the US, the second largest mobile games market, is keeping up with global trends, with expected mobile games revenue of $10 billion in 2019.
5. There are 203 million mobile gamers in North America.
(Mediakix)
The North American mobile games market is the second largest market in the world. Mobile gaming in America statistics suggest that the number is expected to reach 213 billion in 2020.
6. In the US, each cell phone holds an average of eight games.
(App Annie)
App Annie’s mobile gaming industry report discloses interesting statistics on just how much we play mobile games.
7. By 2022 the global game market will reach $196 billion, while the mobile gaming market will rise to $95.4 billion.
(Newzoo)
The Newzoo global games market report forecasts a bright future for the global game market. According to the mobile gaming revenue statistics, the general game market is slated to reach $196 billion by 2022, while mobile gaming is expected to reach $95.4 billion.
8. China has approximately 586 million mobile gamers.
(Niko Partners)
China is the biggest mobile games market – by far. There are approximately 586 million mobile gamers in China, a rise of 22 million compared to 2017. This number is likely to keep rising – the total number of Chinese mobile game players is expected to reach 728 million by 2023. This will further cement the importance of China in the mobile games industry.
9. In 2018, China’s mobile gaming market accounted for more than 25% of global revenue.
(Niko Partners)
As the largest mobile gaming market, China accounts for a huge portion of global mobile market revenue. According to statistics on Chinese mobile gaming for 2018, China’s domestic mobile game revenue was $15.63 billion. This is about 25% of global industry revenue.
10. On average, American adults spend three hours and 35 minutes per day on their mobile phones.
(eMarketer)
Statistics of mobile gaming in America provided by Emarketer indicate that in 2018, US adults spent 3 hours and 35 minutes per day using their mobile phones. That rivals the time spent watching TV. This is a sign of the transformation of media and technology landscapes in the last decade.
11. 10% of time spent using mobile apps is dedicated to games.
(App Annie)
While app usage has increased by 50% in the past two years, the percentage of the time that we spend on mobile games remained the same – 10%. Social and communication apps take up 50% of our app-using time, followed by video players and editors at 15%, with mobile games in third place. This may seem low, but mobile games compete with time-sink giants like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
12. Mobile phones are the most popular platform for gaming.
(Limelight)
Limelight’s “State of Online Gaming” report concludes that mobile phones have become the main platform for gaming. Global mobile phone gaming statistics show that on average, using a 0-4 scale, time spent playing games on mobile is at 1.89, while PC gaming is just behind at 1.82. Consoles got 1.38. Dethroning the PC as a dominant gaming platform was unimaginable a few years ago, but here we are.
13. In 2018, mobile games made up 33% of all worldwide mobile downloads.
(App Annie)
Another telling bit of data: In 2018, 33% of all mobile downloads were games. Based on this info, we can see that mobile games form an important part of mobile phone usage.
14. 90% of time spent on smartphones is spent with apps.
(eMarketer)
eMarketer’s 2018 mobile gaming statistics on global smartphone usage show that apps take up 90% of our time on smartphones and 70% on tablets. Almost half of this time is spent in an individual’s one top app, however, not in all apps equally.
15. Mobile games account for 74% of all consumer spending in app store.
(App Annie)
Not only do mobile games take up large parts of total mobile phone usage and downloads, but they’re also the main source of revenue in app stores. Mobile games account for 74% of app store consumer spending – 74 cents of every dollar spent in app stores goes toward mobile games.
16. 95% of app store revenue from gaming comes from in-app purchases.
(Techsport)
Mobile gaming statistics on revenue show that only 5% of app store spending comes from purchasing the games themselves, while 95% of it comes from microtransactions: loot boxes, XP boosts, time-savers, and other stuff you purchase while playing the game. This monetization model is mostly reserved for freemium for free-to-play games, which cost nothing to download. Users find that progress is much slower or downright impaired unless they purchase add-ons during play.
17. On average, US consumers spent $77.60 on mobile games in 2016.
(Rakuten Intelligence)
Rakuten Intelligence conducted research on how much people in the US spend on mobile games. The company’s 2016 mobile gaming USA statistics report demonstrates that US mobile game buyers spent an average of $77.60 that year.
Statistics about mobile gaming demographics
18. According to gamers age statistics, the two age groups best represented in mobile gaming are people aged 25-34 and 55+
(Mediakix)
We generally expect gamers to be young and male. That’s not true in the mobile world. Mobile gaming statistics tell us that older generations are well-represented in mobile gaming. People aged 55+ make up 23% of mobile gamers, followed by the 25-34 group (21%). People aged 34-44 are in third place (19%).
19. 63% of all mobile gamers are women.
(Mediakix)
This very surprising bit of mobile gaming statistics on gender comes from the Mediakix demographics report. While most people imagine gaming as a completely male-dominated arena, the facts say otherwise. Almost two-thirds – 63% – of all mobile gamers are women. Out of all female mobile gamers, 60% of them play daily, compared to 47% of males.
20. Men and women prefer different mobile game genres.
(Quantic Foundry)
Mobile gaming gender statistics gathered by Quantic Foundry highlight a gender gap in mobile game genres. Match-three and family/farm simulation games are preferred by women: 69% of people who play them are women. Sports and tactical shooter genres are preferred by men, with 98% and 96% of these genre player bases being male.
21. Vendors say female smartphone users are better customers.
(DeltaDNA)
Female smartphone users are prepared to spend more than men. As mobile gamer demographics research conducted in 2017 by DeltaDNA shows, female consumers tend to buy pricier phones than men: About 21% of women own an iPhone, compared to 15% of men. In the Android world, female players are more likely to have more expensive models ($300+) – 34% compared to 27%. Further, 36% of women who play a game are ready to spend money it, making female players 31% more valuable to game publishers.
22. The popularity of hyper-casual games jumped by 3.5 times in 2018 and is expected to keep growing.
(AppsFlyter)
Hyper-casual mobile games seem to be gaining traction. These are games that have simple mechanics and offer instant gameplay (tap-to-play). This is exactly the reason for their popularity: They don’t take much of your time and can be played while multitasking. AppsFlyer’s 2018 State of Gaming report on mobile gaming download statistics shows that the number of downloads for hyper-casual games increased 3.5 times during 2018. Even so, they amounted to only 5% of all downloads. But the category is almost sure to keep growing.
23. In-app ads are becoming the dominant monetization model for some genres.
(AppsFlyer)
In-app purchases were the name of the game for a while in the freemium mobile game market. However, that monetization model depends on a very large and dedicated player base, and more importantly – whales. A whale is a player who spends a lot on in-app purchases.
Game developers are switching to placing advertisements inside games instead. According to AppsFlyer’s mobile gaming and whales statistics, in-app ads are present in more than 50% of casual and hyper-casual games. However, in-app purchases are still dominant in midcore and strategy games, at 70%.
Mobile gaming general statistics
24. The worldwide total number of smartphone users is 3.2 billion.
(Newzoo)
Newzoo’s Global Mobile Market report on mobile gaming statistics showcases the continued growth of both smartphone usage and the mobile gaming industry. According to Newzoo, the number of smartphone users hit 3.2 billion in 2019. This is sure to be accompanied by mobile gaming market growth.
25. Gaming is the most used app category, accounting for 25% of active iOS apps and 21% of Android apps.
(Go-Globe)
Not only are gaming apps among the most downloaded categories, they are also among the most used apps on both iPhones and Androids. Gaming mobile apps statistics provided by Go-Globe show that 25% of active iOS apps and 21% of Android apps are mobile games.
26. 62% of people install a game on their phone within a week of acquiring it.
(Go-Globe)
When people get a new phone, one of the main ways to test it out is through playing games. Go-Globe’s mobile gaming app industry statistics show that 62% of people install a game within a week of obtaining a new device.
27. 78% of mobile gamers are Android users.
(Go-Globe)
Go-Globe stats tell us that a huge majority of mobile gamers use Android phones – 78%. This in turn makes Android game players worth up to eight times more than those that use iOS.
28. Puzzle games are the most popular mobile game genre, with 57.9% market penetration.
(Go-Globe)
Puzzle and arcade games are currently the dominant mobile genres, at 57.9% and 55.60% market penetration. This statistic is not that surprising when we keep in mind that female gamers dominate mobile gaming and that puzzle games are one of their preferred genres.
Mobile Gaming App Statistics
29. Pokémon Go is the top-grossing mobile gaming app on iPhone, with $1.6 million daily revenue in 2019.
(Statista)
The top-grossing mobile app spot was occupied by the immensely popular game Candy Crush in previous years. But Pokémon Go has recently taken its place as the highest grossing video game on mobile, with daily revenue of $1.6 million. Candy Crush Saga is now in second place with $1.59 million daily revenue.
30. 1 in 3 mobile game players played Candy Crush Saga in 2019.
(Newzoo)
While Candy Crush daily revenue lost the lead in the list of top revenue-generating apps, it’s still one of the most played games in the world. According to Newzoo’s data on the most popular mobile games, every third mobile gamer has played this five-year-old game. That’s almost double the popularity of Pokémon Go.
31. With 334 million downloads, Helix Jump was the most downloaded game of 2018.
(Apptopia)
Here is clear proof of the surging popularity of hyper-casual games. According to a study of the most played online games conducted by Apptopia, the most downloaded mobile game for 2018 was Helix Jump. This hyper-casual game had more downloads than Fortnite and PUBG Mobile combined. The developer of Helix Jump, Voodoo, was also the top publisher for 2018, with 1.2 billion downloads across all games.
32. 66% of mobile gamers influence the purchasing decisions of others.
(Newzoo)
Mobile gamers seem to influence the purchasing decisions of those around them more than non-gamers do. Newzoo mobile games industry analysis from its Betting on Billions report indicates that 66% of gamers influenced the purchasing decisions of family members, compared to 53% of non-gamers. Gamers are also more influential with friends (43% versus 35%) and colleagues (37% versus 29%).
33. Games and shopping apps are most commonly used between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
(Newzoo)
According mobile gaming revenue statistics from Newzoo, games and shopping apps are mostly used in the evening, after work hours. During the afternoon, people mostly use music apps, while people rely on news-related applications in the morning to catch up to new developments.
FAQ
How big is the mobile gaming industry?
The mobile gaming industry is currently worth about $68.5 billion. This accounts for 45% of the global gaming industry.
Are mobile games more profitable?
They seem to be at the moment, with the top grossing mobile game, Pokémon Go, generating $1.6 million per day. Mobile games are usually much cheaper to develop than PC and console games, so making mobile games certainly seems lucrative at the moment.
Is mobile gaming popular?
Yes, immensely so, especially when we look at how many people play mobile games. There are currently 2.2 billion mobile gamers in the world. That number is expected to rise to 2.4 billion by the end of the year.
What mobile game has made the most money?
At the moment, the mobile game that generates the most profit is Pokémon Go, which earns $1.6 million each day.
How big is the gaming industry 2019?
Mobile game stats tell us that the gaming industry is worth $152.1 billion.
How many people play mobile games daily?
There is no statistical data at the moment that tells us how many people play mobile games on a daily basis. However, Mediakix mobile gaming statistics tell us that 60% of female gamers (who form 63% of the total player base) play mobile games daily.