By Diana Guerrero, journalist at G&M News.
Casino industry at the United States is entering a stage in which breaking records is no longer enough to measure an operator’s strength. Commercial gaming generated USD 78.62 billion in 2025, up 9.1% from 2024, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA). Behind that figure lies a strategic divide that executives cannot afford to overlook.
Land-based casinos brought in USD 51.06 billion, growing 2.3%, while commercial sports betting (excluding Florida and tribal casino sportsbooks) rose 22.6% and iGaming 27.6%. The brick-and-mortar casino remains the backbone of the business, accounting for roughly two-thirds of the total revenue, but its growth now unfolds within a much broader gaming ecosystem. The challenge is to protect the economic strength of the casino floor while capturing and retaining consumer spending beyond it.
One of the changes drawing the most attention among executives is the rise of prediction markets. For casinos, the debate goes beyond whether these products count as sports betting, financial instruments or a category of their own. The business question is whether they can divert sports-oriented customers, digital traffic and marketing dollars that have traditionally flowed to sportsbooks and casino brands.
According to the AGA’s Gaming Industry Outlook, prepared with Oxford Economics, 81% of the executives surveyed consider them a “very significant” threat to the regulated industry. This Q1 2026 survey included 26 executives. Regulatory developments must be weighed alongside a broader commercial question: how to defend the relationship with a customer who now has more digital options for betting and entertainment?
The shift is also changing the value of the casino customer. A player drawn to a property by its sportsbook can later engage with the same brand through mobile apps, iGaming (where available), loyalty programs, hotels, restaurants and entertainment. iGaming reached USD 10.73 billion after growing 27.6% across the seven states where it is legal, a sign of how quickly digital experiences are gaining their share of consumer spending.
For CEOs, the opportunity does not lie in replacing the in-person business with digital products, but in using these channels to deepen customer relationships before, during and after a visit. Seen this way, the casino stops being merely a physical destination and becomes the hub of an ecosystem of experience built around a single brand.
Technology also offers a way to address one of operators’ biggest challenges: controlling costs without degrading customer experience. According to the same report, 50% of executives expect artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver cost savings over the next six to 12 months. Over that same period, 62% also plan to increase capital investment. The value of AI will depend on its ability to deliver measurable results: segmenting customers, personalizing offers, detecting irregular behavior, optimizing staff scheduling, improving hotel management and strengthening customer service. In a business that is intensive in operations and human talent, AI could become a tool for protecting margins and improving efficiency.
The next competitive advantage may therefore lie in connecting physical assets with digital capabilities. For decades, an operator’s strength was tied to the size and location of its properties and to its gaming, hospitality and entertainment offerings.
Looking into the future, this new landscape will demand that those assets work in concert with data, loyalty programs, mobile products, and modern forms of digital engagement. The best-prepared operators will not necessarily be the ones with the largest properties, but those able to increase the value of each customer across multiple touchpoints without neglecting the in-person business. The strategic question is no longer just whether consumers will keep visiting casinos, but how much of their total relationship with gaming a brand can retain when consumers have more alternatives than ever.