The iGaming History Blog

A world gone mobile Since 2022, the iGaming industry has entered a new era of global legalization and diversified player experiences. The story continues as a tale of opportunity where trends, regulations, user expectations and the actual emergence of AI are leveling the playing field. The Multi-Billion Dollar Economy Continues The global iGaming market kept growing from approximately $70 billion in 2022 to an estimated $97 billion in 2024. Projections suggest it could surp

Casino dealers wearing masks during Covid-19. Between 2020 and 2022, the iGaming industry became the main character in a story of adaptation, transformation and triumph in the global chaos of the coronavirus pandemic. Building on years of steady growth, the sector stood at the crossroads of crisis and opportunity. It chose opportunity of course and that made iGaming one of the biggest pandemic success stories. Lockdowns and Digital Migration Covid-19 suddenly engulfed the wor

iGaming kept growing between 2015 and 2020. It was driven by new tech, changing regulation and consumer shifts. Online casinos, sports betting and mobile gaming reached heights that proved only one thing: iGaming was one of the fastest growing entertainment sectors in the world. Meteoric Global Market Growth During this period, the global online gambling market grew from $37.5 billion to nearly $77 billion , achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 13.7% . The

Between 2010 and 2015, iGaming went through a period of accelerated global expansion. Even if there was a depression after UIGEA blocked US access, the new law fonly encouraged a new generation eager to explore global growth. Mobile betting was on the rise, landmark legalizations were brewing in the US, new markets were emerging in Asia. It looked like a set of fresh standards. Poker Black Friday was a blood bath and the emergence of crypto casinos (yes, they started showing

The UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) of 2006 shook the online casino industry to its core, especially in the United States. The law didn’t ban online gambling, but it did severely restrict payment processing. This forced big changes in the industry and reshuffled the deck in terms of iGaming strategies worldwide. UIGEA: what the Law really did The UIGEA, signed in October 2006, made it a criminal offense for financial institutions to accept payments to or

A Canadian Crackdown - 1999 You can't grow from 0 to $2.2 billion within less than 4 years and not make some enemies. While the US was going to take its time with pushbacks for the next decade, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided the offices of Starnet Communications International in Vancouver. Authorities argued that Starnet’s email server represented an illegal extension of internet gambling activities under the Canadian Criminal Code. Starnet was issued a $100,000 fi

The 90s were an absolute blast for the online casino world, and much of the activity and trends that occurred then tend to mimic modern times. Before we go into the pioneers, major events, the first regulatory bodies and companies and of the time, it's probably good for you to know the industry works. How does iGaming work? It's an ecosystem that unites three main parties: the Player . the Operator (Casino/Bookmaker). the Software Providers. Who were the iGaming pioneers? We

What is the iGaming Industry? iGaming is online gambling and betting. It's short for "interactive Gaming" or "internet Gaming". It is called iGaming primarily due to the affiliate industry's need to create short keywords that cover a larger meaning. iGaming as a word evolved from "online gambling" to "internet gambling" to "internet gaming" to "net gaming" and finally iGaming. What is the difference between Gaming and iGaming? The main difference is that iGaming is about any