A new survey by Yield Sec, backed by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, has called into question the size of the gambling market in the United States as well as the amount of it that is funneled through illegal channels.
According to the analysis, 74% of the $90.1bn online gambling market in the United States may be funneled through illegal means, with the story covered by major publications such as Forbes and Bloomberg already.
Yield Sec says the vast majority of online gambling in the US is illegal
The analysis ought to be taken with a grain of salt, as it stipulates a completely new understanding of the size of the online gambling market in the country, as well as how pervasive illegal gambling actually is at a time of heightened regulatory scrutiny and enhanced consumer protection measures.
According to the survey, illegal gambling revenue increased by 64% in 2024, outpacing the 36% gain in regulated online gambling revenue by a factor of nearly two. As to the actual pervasiveness of illegal gambling, Yield Sec’s survey estimates that 88% of all US online audiences are already exposed to such content and platforms.
The illegal gambling websites continue to pop up in search engines as well as social media, but also rely on other tailored approaches, such as streaming and apps. However, the issue may not be traced to a single entity.
According to Yield Sec Founder and CEO Ismail Vali, the problem is hardly limited to the regulators only. Their job, argues Vali, is to monitor and supervise the regulated gambling market, and more needs to be done by other relevant parties, such as social media platforms, governments, law enforcement, and more.
"Let’s not pin this on gambling regulators alone. Their job is to supervise the licensed industry, not to chase criminals who never applied for a license. Illegal gambling is everyone’s problem – operators, law enforcement, media companies, social platforms, and governments all have a role to play.
At Yield Sec, we show every legal stakeholder how to identify, expose, and remove crime from the marketplace – because until that happens, it’s your money that’s being stolen. For America in 2025, it’s time to kick crime out of online gambling."
Yield Sec posts concrete data about illegal gambling sites and affiliates
Yield Sec dug into the landscape of illegal gambling operators to conclude that there were 917 illegal online gambling operators actively targeting users in the United States, compared to only 95 regulated ones.
The company also said that 668 affiliates were promoting illegal online gambling, and only 106 were promoting legal brands. Yield Sec also insists that illegal gambling operators raked in $67.1bn in revenue compared to $23bn for the regulated sector.
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