What Is the Most Popular Online Casino in the World?

Peter SchmidtVienne Garcia

8 min read

Our Top Pick
Casino:	Stake Casino
Licence:	Curacao Gaming
Online since:	2017
Welcome Bonus:	$500
Bonus Code:	casinoguide
Read full review:	Stake Review

At Casino.Guide, it is our job to review online casinos for our readers. This is not only in order to help players determine which online casinos are best overall, but to help you as an individual find operators that will be the perfect fit for the currency that you're betting in, the bonuses that you prefer, and the general game range that suits your style.

That being said, as gambling pros, we also understand that there's immense interest in the general workings of online casinos, the markets they serve, and even things like basic statistics as to who wins and how.

That's why we've put together this short article and a labour of love for our casino review team.

To give you a sense of what you're in for, we'll start off by covering the basic parameters used for identifying the better casinos, and then move on to the world of gambling stats and other matters of betting interest to round out this review for our curious players.

Play at Stake Casino

This post covers:

What Is the Most Trusted Online Casino?

One of the categories that we cover most extensively in our online casino reviews is that of safety and fairness. Which when added up is essentially what makes for a trusted online casino.

To determine that, of course, there are a number of factors that go into the calculation. And in our opinion they are:

• licensing,
• personal data protection,
• fair game results, and
• good banking.

To better ascertain which is the most trusted online casino overall, let's explore each of these elements individually.

Licencing requirements

First and foremost, securing trust is a matter of licensing. In order to even begin to trust an online casino, it must be licensed and regulated by a respected body. These include:

• Curacao Gaming
• Alderney Gambling Control Commission
• Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner
• Malta Gaming Authority
• UK Gambling Commission
• Kahnawake Gaming Commission
• Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission

Almost all of the casinos that we review will have a license from one of those bodies. These include the very popular Stake crypto casino with its Curacao Gaming license, or Lucky Days which has both a Curacao and an MGA Malta licence.

In fact, a recognised licence is generally a prerequisite for us to even embark on the review process. There are occasional exceptions, like Betpanda, which does not have a traditional license although it does have one from Costa Rica. And so while we gave Bet Panda really good grades on most other fronts, it only garnered a passable rating for security.

Personal data protection

Another aspect is the personal data that the casino might have access to. This includes identification data like your name, email, address, and phone number. And perhaps more importantly, your payment data if you are betting with real money. On top of that, there are your spending habits and wins.

As such, it's important to make sure the casino you join has a privacy policy in place. In addition, from the security perspective, you'll want to know that things like data encryption, the latest SSL technology, and anti-fraud techniques are in place to keep your data safe, across the board.

Fair game results

Another part of determining the most trustworthy online casino is fair results. In gambling that means that the results of all rounds played are random, and cannot be manipulated in any way.

Online casinos that we review all use software from reputable providers - like Microgaming, NetEnt, Yggdrasil, Pragmatic Play, and many more - that are in and of themselves licensed and regulated. This means that they have random number generators (RNGs) built into each of their games to inherently deliver fair and random results. And in addition, they are subject to third-party review processes to ensure an additional level of trustworthiness.

Crypto casinos like Stake, Cloudbet, and BC.Game, also have what are called provably fair games, which allow you to check the results yourself on the blockchain, for an additional level of trust.

Crypto games at Stake casino.MoreLess

Simple payouts

And finally, since we're dealing with real money, you want it to be easy and reliable to bank. Sure, it's great to have instant deposits, which pretty much every operator offers for obvious reasons. But what we're really interested in is cashing out - and hopefully with big wins.

Ideally this happens as quickly as possible and with few limitations. From our experience we can say, your best bet is to opt to play at a crypto casino where you won't be slowed by the bureaucracy of banks or even an ewallet service. And also, you'll find places like Stake that have no max limits for withdrawals, making cash out as reliable as possible.

So to summarise and to answer to the original question, what is the most trusted casino online, we'd say any of our top-rated operators fit the bill, with Stake probably coming out ahead as it fully answers all of our assessment demands.

List of Top Casino Operators we recommend:

All casinos are fully licensed 🔒 Recommended by experts ✅

1.		96% Excellent	$500	visit StakeRead Review
2.		95% Excellent	$1,500+ 100 Free Spins	visit Lucky DaysRead Review
3.		95% Excellent	5 BTC / $1,000 + 200 Free Spins	visit Cloudbet CasinoRead Review
4.		94% Outstanding	$1,000 + 100 Free Spins	visit InstaspinRead Review
5.		94% Outstanding	Virtually unlimited	visit BC.Game CasinoRead Review
6.		94% Outstanding	$1,500+ 400 Free Spins	visit SpinoliRead Review
7.		94% Outstanding	C$ 4500+ 300 Free Spins	visit Let's LuckyRead Review
8.		94% Outstanding	$5,000+ 150 Free Spins	visit Bizzo CasinoRead Review
9.		94% Outstanding	$1,500 + 500 Free Spins	visit PlayZillaRead Review
10.		94% Outstanding	$10,000 + 450 Free Spins	visit Lucky CircusRead Review
11.		94% Outstanding	$1,500	visit BookofCasinoRead Review
12.		94% Outstanding	C$2,500+ 300 Free Spins	visit BetandplayRead Review
13.		94% Outstanding	1BTC	visit BetpandaRead Review
14.		94% Outstanding	$750	visit 1Bet CasinoRead Review
15.		93% Outstanding	up to $450 000+ 140 Free Spins	visit FairspinRead Review
16.		93% Outstanding	$5,000 + 400 Free Spins	visit Just CasinoRead Review
17.		93% Outstanding	$2,000 or 5 BTC+ 180 Free Spins	visit BitStarz CasinoRead Review
18.		93% Outstanding	$8,000+ 300 Free Spins	visit LuckyWinsRead Review
19.		93% Outstanding	C$3,000+ 200 Free Spins	visit BitdreamsRead Review
20.		93% Outstanding	$3000+ 200 Free Spins	visit Platin CasinoRead Review
21.		93% Outstanding	$200+ 10 Free Spins	visit NetBetRead Review
22.		93% Outstanding	$700	visit Bitsler CasinoRead Review
23.		93% Outstanding	Challenges & Bonus Battles	visit RollbitRead Review
24.		93% Outstanding	$10,000 + 500 Free Spins	visit Lucky DreamsRead Review
25.		93% Outstanding	$300	visit 22BetRead Review
26.		93% Outstanding	Loyalty Club	visit Bitcasino.ioRead Review
27.		93% Outstanding	$800+ 100 Free Spins	visit Wheelz CasinoRead Review
28.		93% Outstanding	$1,000+ 50 Free Spins	visit BetsafeRead Review
29.		93% Outstanding	$300	visit Hot.Bet CasinoRead Review
30.		93% Outstanding	$500+ 100 Free Spins	visit National CasinoRead Review
31.		93% Outstanding	$10,800+ 250 Free Spins	visit 7Bit CasinoRead Review
32.		93% Outstanding	$1,500+ 100 Free Spins	visit SpinAwayRead Review
33.		93% Outstanding	$1,500+ 200 Free Spins	visit Woo CasinoRead Review
34.		93% Outstanding	$1000	visit Dreamz CasinoRead Review
35.		93% Outstanding	350 mBTC	visit RocketpotRead Review
36.		93% Outstanding	$80 in free spins	visit RoobetRead Review
37.		92% Outstanding	10% Cashback	visit Winny CasinoRead Review
38.		92% Outstanding	VIP program	visit DuelbitsRead Review
39.		92% Outstanding	C$ 375+ 150 Free Spins	visit Avalon78Read Review
40.		92% Outstanding	C$1500+ 130 Free Spins	visit Bob CasinoRead Review
41.		92% Outstanding	$180+ 120 Free Spins	visit 20Bet CasinoRead Review
42.		92% Outstanding	$1500+ 150 Free Spins	visit PlayAmoRead Review
43.		92% Outstanding	$200	visit 888 CasinoRead Review
44.		91% Outstanding	15% Rakeback	visit GamdomRead Review
45.		91% Outstanding	$450+ 100 Free Spins	visit Mason SlotsRead Review
46.		91% Outstanding	C$300+ 220 Free Spins	visit Cookie CasinoRead Review
47.		91% Outstanding	1,500 CAD+ 120 Free Spins	visit BetchanRead Review
48.		91% Outstanding	$500	visit PirateplayRead Review
49.		91% Outstanding	$6,000 + 200 Free Spins	visit Oshi CasinoRead Review
50.		91% Outstanding	$400+ 150 Free Spins	visit BetamoRead Review
51.		90% Outstanding	$3,500+ 1000 Free Spins	visit BetfuryRead Review
52.		90% Outstanding	$1,000+ 200 Free Spins	visit WildzRead Review
53.		90% Outstanding	$1,000+ 200 Free Spins	visit LeoVegasRead Review
54.		90% Outstanding	$1,200+ 200 Free Spins	visit Mr GreenRead Review
55.		90% Outstanding	$300	visit William HillRead Review
56.		90% Outstanding	$400+ 50 Free Spins	visit BwinRead Review
57.		90% Outstanding	$500 + 20 Free Spins	visit PartyCasinoRead Review
58.		90% Outstanding	$200+ 100 Free Spins	visit CaxinoRead Review
59.		90% Outstanding	4 BTC+ 325 Free Spins	visit mBit CasinoRead Review
60.		90% Outstanding	6 BTC or 1200 USD+ 250 Free Spins	visit FortuneJackRead Review
61.		89% Very good	$1,600	visit NYSpinsRead Review
62.		89% Very good	$1,000	visit BetwayRead Review
63.		86% Very good	$1,600	visit JackpotCityRead Review
64.		82% Good	$1,500 or 1.04 BTC+ 150 Free Spins	visit True FlipRead Review

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⏱The brands and bonuses above were last updated on 19. November, 2024. We test and check casinos regularly to provide up-to-date information. However, there may still be instances where there may be differences between a casino's newest offering and the listing on this site.

What Online Casino Hits the Most?

If you're looking for an online casino to join, one factor you may be considering is which online casino hits the most. Or in other words, which casino gives you the best odds for winning.

That, we cannot deny, is an excellent question. But the answer is not necessarily all that simple. The thing is, almost all iGaming operators, with the exception of 888 Casino, predominantly carry games that are created by external software developers. That means that the odds at most casinos are going to be quite similar, as the RTP is built into the games themselves. So if you take a popular slots game like Big Bass Bonanza or Gates of Olympus as an example, you will find almost the same odds for this game at any online casino you visit. And switching casinos will not improve your chances at hitting a payday.

The one small exception that we can find is playing exclusive games. For example, Stake casino not only has its own line of originals, but it also has developed an exclusive line of enhanced RTP slots with Pragmatic Play that offer odds starting from a 98% RTP up to a 98.03% RTP on the Madame Mystique Megaways game. These are essentially the highest odds slots you'll find anywhere.

Play Madame Mystique at Stake

"Another way to improve your odds, or at least get more chances of winning with the same investment, is to look for online casinos that offer high bonuses. A place like BC.Game, from our experience, is exceptional on this front, offering new players a virtually unlimited welcome package. Just Casino, by the way, is also really strong on that front with a $4,000 welcome bonus offer plus 300 free spins thrown in for good measure." Vienne Garcia – Author at Casino.Guide

What Percentage of Gamblers Win?

On a similar theme, you might reasonably be wondering, what percentage of gamblers win?

While player stats are a carefully guarded secret by most establishments, an interesting report came out a number of years back and was covered in The Wall Street Journal that sheds some light on the matter. Basically, one thing it determined is that over the short term, your odds are actually pretty good, stating: "On any given day, the chances of emerging a winner aren't too bad-the gamblers won money on 30% of the days they wagered."^[1] Long-term, however, those odds can go down, as we've seen quoted as anywhere from 11% to 13%.

Another study on sports betting^[2], which can be extrapolated to an extent to casino play, shows that: "Big wins in sports betting were associated with increased engagement, losses, and risk in the following weeks, with the impact declining over time." That is more frequent betting does not equate more winning, statistically speaking.

The moral of the story is that setting limits on your gambling can be a good bet. Not only does it help with budgetary control, but by gambling intermittently, it seems it may even better your odds of winning.

Do successful people gamble?

While we're all free to engage in legal activities we enjoy at our own leisure, one often likes to know that they're in good company. Which is why we've heard readers questioning whether or not successful people gamble.

And the answer to that, is of course, most certainly yes! Just think of all the people who go to Las Vegas every year for example. These are absolutely regular people, from all walks of life, who enjoy the thrills of gambling. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, bankers, construction workers, even government officials. You name it. So long as they're doing so legally, we'd imagine there is no profession that isn't counted amongst gamblers. Gambling, after all, is a legitimate hobby, so long as you're doing it safely.

By way of numbers, to reflect that, it is interesting to note that according to Statistics Canada, "Nearly two-thirds (64.5%) of Canadians aged 15 or older (18.9 million) reported gambling in the past year."^[3] That is no less than a majority of people, which puts you in pretty good company indeed.

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You should not, however, be looking at gambling as a route to success. Time and again, when it comes to safe gambling, you'll see reminders not to look at gambling as a way to make money or to supplement your income. Sure you can win some money along the way. But the odds aren't necessarily so. And gambling can become addictive, so you need to be doing it with a healthy mindset, which means looking at it first and foremost as a form of entertainment. Or a leisure hobby you might say.

Which Online Casino Makes the Most Money?

Another carefully guarded iGaming industry secret is profits. That is, how much each online casino makes.

As such, it is hard for us to say how much each one earns, and which casino makes the most. Though since the casino business model is that the house always has the edge, it is safe to say that they make money, so long as they're in business.

Small glimpses can be garnered by looking at the numbers for those casinos that are operated by publicly held companies, like those under the Entain Group brand which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and owns popular gambling brands like bwin, PartyCasino, and Ladbrokes and enjoyed £4,296.9 million in revenue in 2022, though "only" a £19.5 million net income.

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William Hill, in all its parts including the online casino, which is only a fraction of its business, was acquired by 888 Holdings in July 2022 for £2.2 billion^[4]. You can imagine how valuable just William Hill's business is. Or 888 Holdings as a whole considering it also holds multiple other brands like the popular Mr Green. We'll give you a hint, its net revenue was listed at US$120.6 million as recently as 2022.

Stake casino, however, is probably making the most serious bank, with multiple sources saying it took in $2.6 billion dollars in revenue in 2022. This, of course, can differ vastly with net revenue, which it likely does, since Stake is known to pay quite a lot to its streamer talents alone, as well as different forms of endorsement deals.

If your question was really which online casino makes the most money for players? Well that brings us back up to the matter of odds and bonuses, more or less, which we've already covered above.

What Are the Biggest Online Gambling Markets?

All that money being made by online casinos and at online casinos got you now wondering where it's all coming from? Us too! Which is why it's worth mentioning a bit of our research on the biggest online gambling markets.

Overall, online gambling is a huge business worth many billions of dollars the world over. Based on the numbers from 2021^[5], for example, the largest online gambling markets in USD were:

Largest Online Gambling Markets in 2021
Rank		Country	Revenue
1		United Kingdom	$12.48 billion
2		United States	$10.96 billion
3		Australia	$6.55 billion
4		Italy	$4.51 billion
5		France	$3.83 billion
6		Germany	$3.65 billion
7		Canada	$2.55 billion
8		Sweden	$2.10 billion
9		Spain	$1.60 billion
10		Greece	$1.30 billion

Source: visualcapitalist.com

Of course, other countries gamble as well, and contribute to the approximately $102 billion in online gaming revenue garnered globally in that year.

Interestingly however, is that in spite of, or maybe it's because of, heavy regulation the United Kingdom continues to be the biggest single market. Also noteworthy is how the US takes second place, even though online gambling is not necessarily accessible there, with even many of our reviewed casinos officially having the US on its restricted countries list. Though with a VPN we've often found it possible to get around that. But then that wouldn't be counted towards the US market, would it? Just some pondering thoughts, really.

That being said, we've also come across overall predictions that quote US$87.9 billion revenue in 2023^[6], for online gambling globally, which would be less than the $102 quoted above for 2021. So either one of these numbers may be off, or it could be that 2021, at the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic was an anomaly year, as people spent far more time at home, and in front of their screens.

In any event, the same study anticipates an annual revenue growth rate of 9.02% - with US$124.20 billion in revenue and 233.7 million users by 2027 - which attests to the ever-increasing popularity of online gambling whatever the exact numbers are last year, or even today.

Where Is Online Gambling Most Popular?

The numbers above in terms of market size more or less speak for themselves, with small shifts are on the horizon. For example, as online gambling becomes legalised in more places in the US, and more players are logging in from the US with VPNs, America is about to become the number one source of online gambling revenue. This can be seen in just one state, as we found published:

Interesting fact: For years Las Vegas has been the most popular gambling destination in the world, or at least the biggest. According to the World Casino Directory, the US has 2,147 licensed casinos and 619 casino hotels, across 920 gambling cities, making the US big on gambling overall.

There are also differences between the country that brings in the most gambling revenue, the one with the most absolute players, and what is called the penetration rate. So while the US may bring in more players, apparently Canada nearing 47%, has the highest user penetration rate^[8] in the online gambling market.

Las Vegas is well known for its casinos.MoreLess

What Nationality Gambles the Most?

Besides reading stats and reports, another way to get a good picture as to where online gaming is popular is by looking at the localisation of casino websites. That is, what languages the casino has been translated into. For our part, we only review online casinos that cater to an English-speaking market first.

But we also like to see global accessibility, with languages like German, French, and Spanish being fairly common. In addition, we often come across languages like Portuguese, Italian, Turkish, Polish, Indonesian, and even occasionally Arabic as well as others, showing how truly international the gambling audience has become.

As for the cash turnover in betting activity in general, the stats according to the American Gaming Association is that in the US alone - with legal casino gaming in 45 states - gaming's annual economic impact is $329 billion, with $53 billion in tax revenue. Making the USA number one. Romania, the Czech Republic, Spain, and the United Kingdom follow in that order^[9]. Of course, each of these places has a tourism industry, so it's not necessarily a reflection of the actual nationality of gamblers, though we'd imagine there is a fairly strong overlap.

Other reports^[10] listing nationalities per spend have Ireland, the UK, the US, Australia, Singapore, and Macau gambling the most in that order. But this is also a reflection of where actual casinos are found as much as the population's betting habits.

Which Country Loses or Wins the Most on Gambling?

Is any one country especially lucky when it comes to gambling then? Like does the "luck of the Irish" extend to the roulette tables? Well, we don't have those exact kinds of numbers to be honest. But there are some nice stats to explore.

Let's start with which country loses the most gambling. And the one that has been topping all such lists for years now, as far as we have seen, is unfortunately Australia. However, this is not a matter of luck per se. Rather access. That is, Australians have ubiquitous access^[11] with all those pokies - ie. slot machines - populating its pubs and clubs. The losses are quoted at 40% more than the country with the second highest losses. This is no small feat, and it's something local legislators are constantly trying to amend because there are some things in life you just don't want to be best at.

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After that we've got the US, Finland, Hong Kong, Greece, and Singapore, according to reasonably recent stats^[12], as the highest gambling loss nations.

A Few More Interesting Stats on the Overall Gambling Industry

According to a Research and Markets report^[13], the global gambling market total in 2022 was a whopping $449 billion USD. The report found that lotteries are the largest segment of the gambling market, with sports betting anticipated to be the fastest growing one going forward.

On an overall basis, Asia Pacific is the largest region, ie. biggest gambling market, followed by North America and Western Europe, the latter two of which are considered the fastest-growing gambling markets, with South America and Eastern Europe coming in after.

Recommendations of this report further advise those in the gambling business that in order to maximise growth trends they should focus on mobile gambling and online casinos, and offer competitive pricing amongst other things. Trends we're obviously already onboard with! But of course, interesting to see our love validated.

Final Assessment of the Most Popular Online Casinos in the World

And with that, we wrap up our review of the most popular online casinos in the world and what makes them just that. Plus, what we think was an interesting deep dive into the overall gambling markets and trends.

All of the stats quoted are subject to change, as the gambling market continues to evolve and grow. This we witness firsthand regularly with new online casinos going live all the time, as well as the new forms of gambling making it to our screens - bringing an ever-better experience to us players.

Still, popularity isn't everything. As casino connoisseurs, our duty is actually to bring you the best of online gambling. That's why our team is constantly scouring the internet to discover hidden gems, as much as the tried-and-true operators, you may already know and love. We constantly evaluate and re-evaluate each aspect of the establishment, and share tips on evolving trends like crypto gambling and casino streamers, so you are always able to optimise your free time.

For quick entrance to the best online casinos, we highly recommend exploring our top-rated casinos list. But more importantly, keep coming back and checking in, to continue getting the best that online gambling has to offer.

Play at Stake Casino

I'll admit that I'm a bit of an old hand when it comes to online casinos. I've seen so much of the business that it's practically unmatched. After working with offline casinos for more than two decades, I moved into the online casino industry looking for a new challenge. Distinguishing a good casino from a bad one is an art, and I am happy to apply my expertise to check and test casino sites to deliver expert casino analyses.

I've been working in the online casino landscape in Malta for more than 10 years and have seen how the industry works from customer service roles to the backend of the business. While I am lucky enough to call myself a native on the sunny island called Malta, I also enjoy travelling and have travelled across Canada! After wandering through the great white north, I have decided to share my knowledge and now work with Canadian players to compile accurate casino reviews to help players navigate through the hundreds of gaming sites online.

References:

[1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-often-do-gamblers-really-win-1381514164

[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563223000080

[3] https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2022001/article/00006-eng.htm

[4] https://igamingbusiness.com/sports-betting/888-closes-william-hill/

[5] https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/visualized-the-largest-online-gambling-markets/

[6] https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/eservices/online-gambling/worldwide

[7] https://themazatlanpost.com/2023/03/01/the-fast-expansion-of-the-online-gambling-industry-on-different-markets/

[8] same as footnote 6

[9] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/20-biggest-gambling-cities-world-164051908.html

[10] https://gamblingindustrynews.com/global-gambling-statistics/

[11] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/17/the-rest-of-the-world-is-in-disbelief-at-what-the-gambling-industry-has-pulled-off-in-australia-we-need-real-reform

[12] https://www.jpost.com/special-content/which-country-has-the-highest-gambling-losses-721830

[13] https://www.researchandmarkets.com/report/gambling