World report on online betting turnover

Online betting is the most "rhythmic" part of iGaming: turnover depends on the sports calendar, prime times and local payment rails. In this report, "turnover" is understood as handle (all accepted rates before payments), and not operator revenue (GGR). We have collected the global picture of 2019-2025 with conservative ranges so that it is comparable between markets.

💡 Key difference:
Handle - sum of all bets.
GGR (gross revenue) - turnover minus player winnings. The average margin (hold) of online usually ~ 5-8% with noticeable fluctuations.

1) Global turnover dynamics (base 2019 = 100)

Indicator	2021	2023	2025
World Online Betting Handle Index	~120–130	~150–170	~185–210
Average Global CAGR 2019-2025	—	—	~9–12%
Online Share of Total Betting Market	~55–62%	~62–70%	~68–75%

What this says: after the "digital breakthrough" 2020-2021, the pace has stabilized, but the growth is supported by a mobile channel, live formats and local instant payments.

2) Geography: contribution of regions to world turnover (2025)

Region	Share of world handle	CAGR 2019–2025	Drivers
Europe	~34–38%	~6–9%	mature licenses, high live-specific weight
Asia-Pacific	~28–32%	~10–14%	mobile-first, mini-sessions, local rails
North America	~14–18%	~8–12%	step-by-step liberalization, market depth
Latin America	~10–13%	~12–16%	local payments, sociality, football
Africa	~5–7%	~9–13%	mobile money, micro bets
Middle East	~3–5%	~7–10%	high ARPPU cohorts, point legality

3) Betting mix: pre-match vs live and market types

Metric (online, 2025)	Range
Share of live in turnover	~52–62%
Pre-match share	~38–48%
Average margin (hold) live	~ 6-9% (more volatile)
Average margin (hold) pre-match	~4–7%
Average Bid Size (Global)	~ 7-20 units (strong regional differentiation)
Betting/active player frequency per week	~4–10

Comment: live consistently dominates thanks to streams, fluffs and micro-markets (corners, cards, breaks, points).

4) Sports contribution to online turnover (2025)

Sport	Share handle	Notes
Soccer	~38–45%	world driver of live markets and express trains
Basketball	~12–16%	high live share and volume of micro-markets
Tennis	~9–13%	short cycles, live multiwaves
Baseball/Hockey	~6–10%	seasonality, strong local peaks
American football	~5–8%	major high-margin events
ESports	~3–6%	growing on youth and APAC clusters
Others (cricket, UFC, motorsport, etc.)	~8–14%	regionally dependent bursts

5) Channels and devices

Mobile (smartphone/PWA/messenger-input): ~ 75-82% of turnover

Desktop: ~ 16-22%

Tablet/Other: ~ 2-4%

UX growth factors: start ≤5 sec, quick coupons, "one tap" on live adds, personal fluffs and mini-widgets for fors/totals.

6) Payments and cashout: Impact on turnovers

Local instant rails: cover ~ 50-65% of deposits in mature/developing clusters; critical for live frequency.

Cards and e-wallets: total ~ 25-35%.

Cryptocurrencies (where permissible): ~ 4-10% of the turnover of deposits/withdrawals, more often among cross-border players.

Time to first cashout (with KYC passed): median ~ 6-18 hours.

Approval of the first conclusions: ~ 85-93% (the rest is additional checks).

Conclusion: the speed and predictability of the box office directly correlates with the frequency of bets and live shares.

7) Seasonality and prime times

Quarterly peaks: major football tournaments, league playoffs, world tennis and basketball calendar.

Daytime windows: local time evening and "television" slots.

Microwaves: overtime, tie-breaks, penalties - bursts of live volume in a matter of minutes.

8) Risk and Risk Management

Limit events and "narrow" markets: the risk of overexposure in illiquid markets → you need limits on segments and auto balance prices.

Match integrity: anomaly monitoring, league/match stop lists, integration of "suspicious activity" signals.

Payment derisk: backup routes, auto-routing, predictive anti-fraud without manual delays.

Regulatory volatility: caps on bonuses/advertising; mandatory RG panels, logs and reporting.

Cyber and data: PII protection, encryption "on the go "/" at rest," minimizing access, retention policies.

9) Product economics and rate KPIs

KPI	Landmark (range)
Conversion registration → 1st deposit	~28–42%
Share of live in turnover	~52–62%
Average margin (hold)	~5–8%
Time to 1st cashout	~ 6-18 hours
Complaints about 1k sessions	~0,5–1,1
Share of mobile in turnover	~75–82%
Retention 30/90	~22–35% / ~12–22%

Note: turnover is growing along with UX quality and box office transparency; "noisy" bonuses without RG frames give a short-term surge and worsen LTV/complaints.

10) Methodological notes

1. Ranges instead of points. Smooth out the effect of local bursts and different sports structures.

2. Comparability. Index 2019 = 100 allows you to compare the pace at different bases.

3. Hold volatility. Major tournaments and "catch-ups" change margins quarterly; annual values are always smoothed.

4. Gray areas. In a number of countries, turnovers are partly informal; estimates are conservative.

11) Scenario forecast of turnover until 2030

Scenario	CAGR 2025–2030	Prerequisites
Basic	~7–9%	stable legalization, fast payments, growth live
Optimistic	~10–12%	expansion of local licenses, instant cashout as a standard, deepening micro-markets
Conservative	~4–6%	tighter advertising/taxes, payment restrictions, shift to withholding instead of aggressive growth

12) Practical conclusions

To operators

Speed up onboarding and KYC, make local rails "by default," show the total amount/commission before confirmation.

Invest in live-UX: quick coupon, personal tips, "one tap" to bet again.

Keep exposure limits by sports and micro-markets, use auto balance and anomaly alerts.

Price and data providers

Expand the line of micro-markets and increase the frequency of updates to quotes.

Provide telemetry and logging for post-mortem parsing and regulatory reporting.

Payment partners

Implement instant cashout where acceptable and predictive anti-fraud without manual delays.

Give transparent commissions and understandable rejection codes - this reduces complaints and increases the frequency of bets.

To regulators

Standardize RG minimums and rate/pay reporting.

Support sandboxes for live market innovation and payment scenarios.

The global turnover of online bets in 2025 is moving by three forces: mobile, live formats and instant local payments. Where a fast start and predictable cashout are combined with transparent rules and mature compliance, turnovers are growing steadily - without skewing into risks and complaints. The forecast until 2030 remains positive, provided that the industry maintains a balance between speed, responsibility and product quality.