Best Performing US iGaming Markets
April 29, 2022
The past four years have seen major change in the US iGaming market. As of now, 32 different states allow online sports betting and casinos in one variety or another. With different states regularly looking to make the change, some have performed much better than others due to the infrastructure or delays in getting started. As three or four states are now on the fringe of making change, which US iGaming markets have performed the best since their change?
New York posts impressive figures
Announced late in 2021 that the start of the New Year would bring online sportsbooks to New York, expectations were very high. The numbers certainly back it up too, with over $2.4 billion in wagers within the first five weeks of the platforms launching. Whilst this is primarily aimed at sports betting with online casinos not yet emerging, it’s by far the biggest market in the US. Whilst concerns have been raised around problem players, for now it shows just how successful a big launch can be.
Colorado still shines as a leader
Colorado made the change to launch sports betting quite early following the law change in 2018. Whilst a much smaller market than New York, international interest pegged Colorado as a leader for iGaming in the US too. With nearly $3 billion wagered in 2021 alone, it’s still a very sizeable market although being smaller than New York. Much like the previous, however, the market is fully focused on sports betting with online casinos and other iGaming options taking a back seat for now, although hasn’t been entirely ruled out for changes in the future.
Maryland experiences further delays for mobile sports betting
As something as an opposite to the previous two, Maryland hasn’t found as much success since its recent launch and largely because of red tape. Sports betting was brought into law one year ago this month, but still limited to in-person betting. The delay came as red tape around launching mobile options was pushed down in priority, and most recent reports suggest sports betting likely won’t begin in time for the 22-23 NFL and college football seasons either. If the previous two are a blueprint for success, Maryland has shown a path best to avoid.
The next step will be the introduction of different iGaming options particularly for online casinos. Tribal casino rights may slow down the process here, but many states have started to eye the change for the future. Particularly with the successful launch of online sports betting and the huge figures shown in the short term which promise even more impressive figures over the long term too.
