Total revenue tells you where the money is. Participation rate tells you where gambling is actually part of daily life. These are two very different lists — and the countries at the top of the participation ranking are not always the ones with the biggest casino industries. Here is the full picture, ranked by the share of the population that actually gambles.

Global Baseline: How Many People Gamble Worldwide?

  • 26% of the world's population gambles in any given year
  • 4.2 billion people have gambled at least once in their lives
  • 1.6 billion people gamble on a regular basis
  • 56% of people surveyed across 44 countries gambled at least once in the past 12 months
  • ~882 million people have tried online gambling at least once

With that baseline in mind, here are the countries where gambling participation is highest.

Top 10 Countries by Gambling Participation Rate

🥇 1. Australia — 65% of adults gamble regularly

No country comes close to Australia when it comes to gambling as a share of the population. According to the Australian Gambling Research Centre (2024), 65.1% of Australian adults gambled in the past 12 months — the highest rate in the world by a significant margin. Australia also has more poker machines ("pokies") per capita than any other country on earth: 18% of the world's slot machines sit in a country with less than 1% of the global population. Pokies can be found not just in casinos but in pubs and clubs across most states. Gambling is embedded in Australian social culture in a way that has no equivalent anywhere else.

🥈 2. United Kingdom — 47% gambled in the last 4 weeks

The UK runs one of the most mature and heavily regulated gambling markets in the world. According to the UK Gambling Commission's most recent survey (Wave 2, 2025), 47% of UK adults gambled at least once in the past four weeks — consistent with the 48% recorded throughout 2024. When online gambling is measured separately, 38% of adults gambled online in the past four weeks. The National Lottery dominates with 32% of adults buying tickets, followed by scratchcards (12%) and sports betting (12%). Football accumulators, horse racing, and the National Lottery are deeply embedded in everyday British life, making the UK the most digitally advanced gambling market in Europe.

🥉 3. United States — 57% gambled in the past year (record high)

According to the American Gaming Association's American Attitudes Toward Gaming 2025 survey — the most recent data available — 57% of US adults participated in some form of gambling in the past 12 months, a new all-time record. That translates to approximately 134 million American adults. 30% gambled at a physical casino, 21% placed a sports bet. Casino visitation hit a record high with 53% of adults visiting a casino for gambling or entertainment. Sports betting has been the fastest-growing format since the Supreme Court overturned the federal ban in 2018: the market grew from $2.5 billion in 2018 to $13.78 billion in 2024. Despite these record participation numbers, the US still ranks lower globally in per-capita losses because many states still restrict casino gambling heavily.

4. Ireland — 49% gambled in the last 12 months

According to the HRB National Drugs Library (May 2025), 49% of Irish adults aged 15+ gambled in the past 12 months — with men (51.3%) participating slightly more than women (46.8%). Ireland has one of the strongest gambling cultures in Europe, built around horse racing, Gaelic sports, and football. Online gambling now accounts for roughly 40% of total gambling revenue, and the sector is projected to generate €1.17 billion online alone by end of 2025. A new regulatory authority — the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) — was established in March 2025 under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, replacing legislation that dated back to 1931.

5. New Zealand — 64.1% gambled in the last 12 months

According to the New Zealand Ministry of Health's National Gambling Survey 2023/24 — the most recent data available — 64.1% of New Zealanders aged 15 and older participated in at least one gambling activity in the past 12 months, representing approximately 2.76 million people. Online gambling participation was 31%, including 3.6% who gambled with overseas-based providers. New Zealand shares many cultural traits with Australia — including a strong pokies culture — and its participation rate is almost identical. Total gambling expenditure (net player losses) reached $2.79 billion in 2023/24, a 24% increase from the previous period. New Zealand's online gambling market is currently unregulated for offshore providers, a situation the government is actively reviewing.

6. Sweden — 72% gambled in the last 12 months

According to Spelinspektionen's annual survey "Allmänheten om spel 2025" (published February 2026, conducted November 2025), 72% of Swedes gambled for money in the past 12 months — with 33% participating on a weekly basis. Horse racing participation rose to 44% (up from 38%), and sports betting climbed to 30% (up from 19%). Online gambling accounts for 68.3% of total gambling revenue in Sweden — the highest online share of any major European market. Sweden re-regulated in 2019 and has since introduced tighter restrictions including mandatory loss limits and responsible gambling measures — yet participation has remained consistently high at 72%.

7. Italy — nearly half the adult population bets regularly

According to EU data, nearly half of the Italian adult population gambles at least once a year. Italy is Europe's largest gambling market by total revenue at €22.89 billion, and the country has a particularly strong lottery culture — lotteries and scratch cards are a daily ritual in many households. Italy also generates €5 billion in online gambling revenue — the second-highest online figure in Europe after the UK.

8. Spain — similar to Italy in culture and participation

Spain shares Italy's gambling culture, with nearly half the adult population participating at least once annually according to EU surveys. Football betting dominates, and the Spanish market has been one of Europe's most active in regulating and taxing online gambling. Spain introduced some of the EU's strictest gambling advertising restrictions in 2021, limiting promotions to late-night hours.

9. Canada — 60% gamble monthly

According to Ipsos research, 60% of Canadians report spending some money on gambling every month — with lotteries being the dominant format (65% of regular gamblers use lottery tickets). There are approximately 19.3 million active online gamblers in Canada, spending around $5.5 billion on online gambling annually. Ontario leads all provinces with 33% of adults registered on at least one online betting platform. Canada's gambling industry generated approximately $15.6 billion in revenue in 2025, with Ontario's open iGaming market — launched in April 2022 — generating $3.2 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2024–25, a 32% year-on-year increase.

10. Finland — high spend per player, monopoly ending

Finland's online gambling user penetration rate reaches 20.6% in 2025 — lower than many countries on this list, but Finnish players are among the highest-spending in Europe with an ARPU (average revenue per user) of $1,150. The Finnish market has been dominated by Veikkaus, the state gambling monopoly, which reported €956.2 million in GGR in 2024 with 2.6 million registered customers. Finland makes this list because of the outsized economic impact of its gamblers and the significant regulatory shift underway: the government introduced a bill in March 2025 to eliminate Veikkaus' monopoly on online casinos and sports betting, with private operators expected to enter the market from 2027 — which will likely push participation rates significantly higher.

Honourable Mentions

Kazakhstan has emerged as one of the fastest-growing gambling markets globally. Average earnings in the region are around $700 per person, with players spending a notable portion at online casinos — predominantly male, aged 18–34, with peak activity on Fridays and Saturdays.

Vietnam has a gambling population exceeding 3 million, primarily male (56%) and concentrated in the 18–24 age bracket. The online gambling market is projected to grow at 10.8% CAGR through 2033.

Macau — technically a Special Administrative Region of China rather than a country — deserves a mention because it generates more gambling revenue per square kilometre than anywhere else on earth, almost entirely from tourism. The city of 700,000 people hit $38 billion in casino revenue in a single pre-pandemic year.

Why Participation Rates Vary So Dramatically

The difference between 65% participation in Australia and much lower rates elsewhere comes down to four factors. Cultural acceptance is the most powerful: in Australia, the UK, and Ireland, gambling is genuinely part of everyday social life in a way it simply isn't in many other countries. Regulatory environment matters too — countries with well-established legal gambling frameworks tend to have higher participation than those where gambling is restricted or stigmatized. Infrastructure plays a role: Australia's ubiquitous poker machines, the UK's dense network of bookmakers, and Ireland's horse racing culture all create easy, normalized access points. And increasingly, mobile technology is the equalizer — in Finland and Sweden, high smartphone penetration and fast internet have driven online participation to levels that rival physical gambling markets.

Where Does Crypto Gambling Fit In?

Crypto casinos operate across all of these markets but rarely appear in official participation statistics, because they're accessed via offshore platforms that don't report to national regulators. In markets with strict restrictions — Singapore, parts of the US, countries with state monopolies — crypto gambling is often the workaround that allows participation despite local legal barriers.

Stablecoins (USDT and USDC) are projected to account for over 70% of all crypto betting transactions in 2026. The players driving that volume come disproportionately from the high-participation markets listed above.

Sources: Australian Gambling Research Centre 2024, UK Gambling Commission GSGB Wave 2 2025, American Gaming Association American Attitudes Toward Gaming 2025, HRB National Drugs Library Ireland May 2025, Spelinspektionen "Allmänheten om spel 2025" (February 2026), iGamingToday Finland Market Report 2025, New Zealand Ministry of Health National Gambling Survey 2023/24, Ipsos Canada Gambling Survey 2025, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. All figures current as of March 2026.