Global gambling industry worth £110bn by 2018

The global gambling market is set to increase in value by 28% to £110bn over the next five years driven by growth in online and Asia, according to a Companies & Markets report.

The global casinos and online gambling market, which is currently valued at around £85bn, is also expected to receive a boost from increased legislation in the US with other states expected to follow New Jersey and Delaware’s lead.

New Jersey plans to allow online gambling from 23 November this year, and Delaware launched free-to-play casino games earlier this month in anticipation of a real-money gaming launch in October.

From 2013 to 2018, revenue is estimated to grow at an annualised rate of 5.5%, with the number of industry operators growing in kind to 5,008, equivalent to an annual rate of 2.1% as revenue gains support a larger number of new entrants.

New online markets will also contribute towards growth, with the recovery of the global economy and governments seeking access to greater revenues from taxation of egaming operators.

Companies & Markets also expects the centre of the gambling industry to continue its shift from the US to Asia, and Macau in particular, with Japan also said to be considering legalising gambling.