Mobile Dominates as the Sport Betting Market Explodes

19 September 2026

The American Gaming Association's State of the States 2025 report underscores a pivotal trend: mobile sports betting is the driving force behind the sustained growth of the U.S. sports wagering market. In 2024, revenue from online sports betting surged 27% while retail sports betting dropped more than 23%. Overall, mobile wagering now accounts for nearly 99% of total sports wagering revenue, which reached a record $670.7 million, a 38.8% increase.

The Ascendancy of Mobile Betting

Mobile betting has surpassed retail sportsbooks as the primary engine of growth. In Nevada, for example, mobile wagering accounted for 59% of the state's total betting revenue in 2024, up from 50% the previous year. And mobile was responsible for all of Nevada's market growth, with mobile revenue rising 18.7% to $285.8 million while retail dropped 18.4% to $196.3 million.

At the national level, the AGA reports that mobile wagering accounts for over 80% of all legal bets placed in the U.S. year-round, not just the weekends. This digital-first engagement is driving expansion as Americans continues to shift how they bet on sports. Even in a questionably-regulated market like Nevada, mobile now leads the returns.

Industry-Wide Impact

The rise of mobile has powered industry growth across the gambling sector. The commercial casino industry set a fourth straight record revenue in 2024, 5% above the year before, as internet gaming and mobile wagering propelled earnings. That momentum carried into 2026, with sports betting revenue up 8.6% and iGaming soaring 20.7% in Q1 2026 alone, data from the AGA's commercial gaming tracker shows.

This is a market-wide phenomenon. Coverage of the AGA's recent revenue figures show all 35 reporting jurisdictions posting annual profit growth in 2025, with New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey leading the way in mobile and internet gaming revenue.

Shifting Strategies for Casino Operators

While mobile wagering does not directly involve traditional casino operators, the trend has noteworthy implications. As more betting dollars flow through internet-based platforms, land-based casinos face a choice: double down on their existing model or pivot towards increased digital engagement and opportunistic merchandising.

To date, the casino industry has been cautious in going all-in on mobile. The AGA describes casinos as the sleeping giants of mobile sports wagering, capable of upscaling their tech offerings but not always incentivized to enter a bullying competition with state affiliates and digital startups.

At the very least, mobile sports betting's meteoric rise accelerates the need for rethinking the casino business model. Without a robust online strategy, brick and mortar venues risk seeing an ever larger share of their customer base bet digitally, indifferently gashing their core earnings. And yet, mobile does not have to be a threat - it could also turn customers into partners, if operators can figure out how to leverage the digital engagement into an offline value proposition.

The writing is on the wall for the casino business: mobile-first sports betting is here to stay, and it is disrupting a decades-old industry. Casinos that want to win big going forward will need to bet on digital growth, not just land-based revenues. For the gaming industry, the future is mobile.