iGaming trends and predictions for 2026
iGaming trends in 2026 are under a new kind of pressure, with the European Parliament exploring an EU gambling levy that could raise around €1.9 billion per year. Although the proposal is still under discussion, it shows how closely online gambling is now tied to tax policy and regulation.
In this article, we explore the figures behind the main iGaming trends 2026. It uses regulator updates, market reports, company data, and expert commentary provided directly by Josh Hodgson, Chief Operating Officer for H2 Gambling Capital, to explain how the market is changing and what operators may need to watch next.
What are the biggest iGaming trends in 2026?
The biggest iGaming trends in 2026 are being shaped by rising costs, tighter legislation, new technologies, and growth in markets outside mature European hubs. AI, live casino, crypto/Web3, prediction markets, market consolidation/M&A, and mobile-first design all have a role to play.
Trends at a glance
- AI and hyper-personalisation are moving into support, CRM, risk checks, marketing, and testing.
- Regulation and tax are affecting Europe online gambling market trends as costs rise.
- Live casino remains one of the key online gambling trends through dealer-led games and game-show formats.
- Crypto/Web3 still matters for payments and affiliate payouts, but compliance is now central.
- Prediction markets are becoming part of sports betting industry trends 2026.
- Market consolidation/M&A may give larger operators the advantage as costs rise.
- Mobile-first growth shows why Brazil, LatAm, and parts of Africa matter for the next phase of iGaming.
Top 7 online gambling industry trends 2026
1. AI and hyper-personalisation
AI is one of the main iGaming industry trends in 2026, but adoption is uneven.
A report published by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) International Gaming Institute and KPMG found that 81.5% of gambling companies use generative AI, 66.7% use conversational AI, and 60.5% use predictive AI (2026).
AI personalisation is already being used for:
- Customer service and support
- Player acquisition and marketing
- Player retention and CRM
- Business intelligence and data analytics
- Software development and testing
The strongest activity is happening in operational and product areas:
- Technology and security made up 24.5% of reported AI activity
- Followed by product development and innovation at 24.0%
- Customer-facing tools (including support, acquisition, and CRM) made up 18.2%
- Risk and compliance made up 14.6% of AI use
AI personalisation also overlaps with safer gambling. The same kind of data analytics that helps operators understand player behaviour can also help them spot signs of risk earlier.
Data from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) shows that customer interactions increased by 32% in Q4 2025 compared with Q4 2024, with most still automated.
2. Regulation and the tax squeeze in Europe
Regulation and tax are some of the main gambling industry trends in Europe because they define margins, marketing plans, product decisions, and the market operators choose to enter.
For example, the UK has faced a lot of pressure in 2026. HM Revenue & Customs (2025) confirmed several gambling duty changes that came into effect from 1 April 2026:
- Remote Gaming Duty increased to 40% from 21%
- A new 25% remote betting rate now applies
- Bingo duty has ended
- The changes are expected to raise more than £1 billion per year
The Netherlands is another useful example, with tightened rules for online gambling ads. Operators must avoid reaching vulnerable groups, including people under 24, and prove that at least 95% of the people reached by online ads are aged 24 or older.
At the EU level, there is an active policy debate on an EU gambling levy. So far, Brussels has listed this levy as an option to be explored as part of wider EU budget talks for 2028-2034.
The figures being discussed are large:
- The European Commission estimated that the levy could raise around €1.9 billion per year
- Across the full 2028-2034 budget cycle, this would reach about €13.3 billion
- That’s much lower than the earlier estimate of almost €28 billion linked to the first proposal put forward by Victor Negrescu, vice president of the European Parliament
- Any new EU funding source would need support from all 27 member states
The bottom line here is that Europe online gambling market trends can’t be judged only by growth forecasts; in 2026, the iGaming market trends are increasingly shaped by tax pressure and political debate.
Josh Hodgson, COO at H2 Gambling Capital, told European Gaming that this pressure can affect channelisation:
‘Taxation and regulation are two factors that only impact licensed operators. Where taxation becomes too high, and regulations become too restrictive, licensed operators are unable to compete with their unlicensed competitors when it comes to attractive pricing, odds, bonuses and RTPs.’
3. Live casino and game-show formats
Live casino remains one of the main casino industry trends because players still like to participate in dealer-led games.
In fact, UKGC research found that 29% of respondents had spent money on live roulette in the previous 12 months, which made it the second-most frequently played online (non-slots) casino game. Live blackjack was also close behind at 27%.
For suppliers, this trend needs constant new content and enough studio capacity. For example, in 2025, Evolution says it launched:
- 22 live casino games
- Around 2,000 live tables
- 24 studios worldwide
Game-show formats are also shaping online casino trends, with Evolution naming games like Ice Fishing as its first speed game show. Meanwhile, Red Baron and Race Track show how suppliers are mixing faster digital formats with live hosts in selected markets.
4. Crypto, stablecoins and Web3
Crypto/Web3 remains part of the future of iGaming, thanks to its relevance for payments, wallets, affiliate payouts, and some player groups that prefer digital assets. Stablecoins may also help with faster cross-border payments, especially where bank transfers are slow or costly.
That said, this doesn’t mean the crypto casino model is becoming mainstream in regulated Europe.
Hodgson links crypto casino growth more strongly to the offshore market:
‘The offshore market has also grown thanks to increasing regulatory restrictions and massive growth in crypto casinos. This has driven offshore revenue from €12bn in 2021 to €20bn in 2026 and we expect it to reach €26bn by 2031.’
This is where MiCA comes in: although the EU framework doesn’t regulate gambling directly, it does set rules for the crypto services around gambling. In practice, this makes crypto/Web3 a regulation compliance issue as much as a payment trend.
The measured prediction for 2026 is that crypto will stay relevant in iGaming. However, in regulated Europe, growth will depend on compliant infrastructure, not only player demand.
5. Prediction markets go mainstream
Prediction markets are moving into sports betting trends because the figures are now large enough for operators to watch closely.
In fact, SOFTSWISS says transaction volume grew around 393 times between January 2024 and January 2026, going from $32.2 million to $12.6 billion.
The link with sports betting is the key point:
- Sports was the highest-value event category among Kalshi and Polymarket users
- Prediction markets reported $1.638 billion in 2026 Super Bowl volume
- In states with legal sportsbooks, prediction markets had around 7% of like-for-like handle, meaning the amount staked
6. Consolidation, M&A and market maturity
Market consolidation/M&A is becoming one of the main gambling industry trends as regulated markets become more expensive. Higher tax pressure, licence costs, compliance spend, and product investment all give larger operators an advantage, because they’re the ones that have more financial room to absorb extra costs.
Recent 2026 examples show how this pressure is affecting the market:
- Evoke and Bally’s Intralot show consolidation under pressure. Evoke, owner of William Hill and 888, agreed to a £243 million takeover after UK duty changes and debt pressures. The Guardian reported that Evoke had about £1.8 billion in net debt, while Intralot saw the UK disruption as an opening for consolidation.
- Entain shows how operators are managing debt through disposals. Entain, the operator behind Ladbrokes, Coral, bwin, partypoker and Sportingbet, agreed to sell a 20% stake in its Central and Eastern European joint venture to partner EMMA Capital for €425 million, the first step in a planned full exit from the region, as it looks to manage higher UK tax costs and debt.
These iGaming market trends suggest that scale is becoming a way to protect margins. In the future of iGaming, larger groups may be better placed to fund new products and stay competitive in regulated markets. ay be better placed to fund new products and stay competitive in regulated markets.
7. Mobile-first and the new growth markets
Mobile-first is one of the main online gambling trends because growth is coming from markets where players already use phones for everyday digital services.
Brazil is one of the strongest examples. DataReportal counted 217 million mobile connections in Brazil in early 2025, equal to 102% of the population (since some people use more than one SIM). It also counted 183 million internet users. Reuters reported that, as a result, Brazilians were wagering up to 30 billion reais (around £4.3 billion) a month on online betting after the regulated market opened in January 2025.
Other growth markets also show strong mobile reach. In 2025:
- Mexico had 127 million mobile connections, equal to 96.5% of the population
- Kenya had 68.8 million mobile connections, equal to 121% of the population
For operators, the message is simple: mobile-first design and local payments will matter more in the next wave of iGaming growth.
Predictions for 2026: What to watch
The main iGaming predictions for 2026 are likely to be driven by how operators deal with higher costs and new rules.
The iGaming trends 2026 to watch include:
- AI will become more practical. Operators will keep using it for customer support, CRM, risk checks, marketing, and testing, but adoption will still vary.
- Regulation will shape market choices. Higher tax and tighter ad rules will add to compliance spend, which may affect where operators choose to invest.
- Live casinos will stay important. New formats can help suppliers stand out, but studios and presenters make the category expensive to grow.
- Crypto will stay relevant. It will remain useful for payments and affiliate payouts, while regulated Europe focuses more on compliant services.
- Scale will matter more. Market consolidation/M&A will remain part of iGaming industry trends 2026, because larger groups can absorb the rising costs more easily.
Essentially, the future of iGaming will favour operators that can grow while keeping control of regulation/compliance and local market needs.
FAQs
What are the biggest iGaming trends in 2026?
The biggest online gambling industry trends 2026 are AI-driven personalisation, tighter regulation and tax pressure, live casino growth, crypto and Web3 payments, prediction markets, and market consolidation.
Mobile-first expansion in markets such as Brazil and Kenya is also reshaping where growth is concentrated.
Is the iGaming industry growing in 2026?
Growth is uneven: regulated European markets face rising tax and compliance costs, while mobile-first markets such as Brazil, Mexico and Kenya are expanding quickly.
H2 Gambling Capital data also points to the unregulated offshore market growing from €12 billion in 2021 to €20 billion in 2026, with €26 billion projected by 2031.
How is AI changing iGaming?
AI is one of the clearest casino technology trends of 2026, with operators using generative, conversational, and predictive AI across customer support, marketing, CRM, and risk analytics.
UNLV and KPMG research found that 81.5% of gambling companies now use generative AI, though adoption varies by function.
How will regulation affect iGaming in 2026?
Regulation is pushing up costs and changing marketing across Europe: the UK has raised remote gaming duty from 21% to 40% and introduced a new 25% remote betting rate, while the Netherlands has tightened online advertising rules.
Alongside a proposed EU gambling levy, these changes sit within a wider push on responsible gambling and compliance that is increasing costs for licensed operators.
What are prediction markets, and why do they matter for iGaming?
Prediction markets let users trade on the outcome of real-world events, and volumes have grown fast; SOFTSWISS reported a roughly 393-fold increase between January 2024 and January 2026.
Because sport is the highest-value category on platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, prediction markets are increasingly competing directly with traditional sports betting.
Which markets will drive iGaming growth in 2026?
Mobile-first markets are expected to drive the next wave of growth, particularly Brazil, where DataReportal counted 217 million mobile connections in 2025, alongside Mexico and Kenya.
Reuters reported Brazilians wagering up to 30 billion reais (around £4.3 billion) a month since the regulated market opened in January 2025.
Is crypto gambling a real trend or just hype?
Crypto and Web3 remain relevant for payments, wallets, and affiliate payouts, but H2 Gambling Capital links most crypto casino growth to the unregulated offshore market rather than licensed operators.
In regulated Europe, growth will depend on compliant infrastructure under frameworks such as MiCA, not just player demand.
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