With a love of gambling prevalent across the island of Ireland, it comes as no surprise that iGaming has seen a huge growth in popularity here in recent years.
Nowadays many of us spend the majority of our time staring at screens, whether that be our laptop, desktop, or smartphone. Thus, a glance at Ireland’s iGaming arena reflects this trend with its continued and steady growth in popularity over recent years.
For those who don’t know, iGaming is an umbrella term used to refer to all forms of online casino games, online sports betting, and all other forms of online gambling.
It’s fascinating to see the shifts that have taken place in this industry in recent years. Today, we’ll run through just a few of the major changes that have brought iGaming in Ireland to be what it is today.
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in. Here is a quick glance at Ireland’s iGaming arena, with a quick 2024 industry overview.
A massive shift towards online gaming – following the online revolution
As is the case with thousands of industries globally, the gaming industry across the world has seen a huge shift towards online gaming. Ireland is, of course, no exception.
Various factors, such as the increase in the number of options for online gaming, its ease and accessibility, the widespread rolling out of high-speed internet, and, of course, the coronavirus pandemic, have contributed to this rise.
According to statistics from The Irish Times, almost half of all betting in Ireland in 2020 was done online. This was a huge rise from just over 36% in 2019. Since then, this number has remained steady.
In contrast, the rest of Europe only saw a rise to 39% from 26%, placing Ireland among the continent’s biggest players in iGaming and online gambling.
What is also interesting to note is that Ireland’s gamblers are becoming increasingly active while on the move, with mobile devices such as smartphones accounting for more than 44% of all online bets in Ireland.
This is a huge shift from previous years when desktop computers made up the majority of online gaming in Ireland.
Plenty of games to choose from – something for everyone
When it comes to Ireland’s iGaming arena, you’ll quickly notice the wide variety of games available to suit all tastes and occasions. From casino games to sports betting, bingo to lotteries, and so much more, the options are truly endless.
For instance, Crazy Time live casino game is one of the most popular options in Ireland. Making use of the classic money wheel with added elements to make the game even more inviting and exciting, participants can enjoy an immersive and captivating gaming experience.
Sports betting remains the most popular – almost half of the sector
Despite the abundance of available gaming options, sports betting remains, by far, the most popular form of iGaming in Ireland. Recent statistics show that sports betting comprises 41% of the industry. In 2019, this brought in an estimated £10 billion in revenue.
Behind sports betting, online casino gambling has shown a marked increase in popularity among Irish gamblers in recent years. Slots, roulette, and blackjack prove to be some of the most popular games in this area.
Online casinos prove particularly appealing to those living in rural areas as they save them from travelling huge distances to major towns and cities to place their bets. Instead, participants can take part in their favourite games from the comfort of their own homes.
Irish gamblers are some of the biggest spenders – and the biggest losers
Taking a glance at Ireland’s iGaming arena, one thing that becomes clear when looking at the statistics from across Europe is that the people of Ireland are some of the biggest spenders. And subsequently, the biggest losers.
According to industry statistics brought forward at the end of 2020, Irish gamblers lost a total of £1.36 billion in gaming. When divided by the population of the country, this comes to a total of £300 per Irish adult.
These astounding totals rank the Irish as the fourth-biggest gamblers in the European Union.
On the global stage, Ireland comes in at number 14 for average highest losses in gambling. This ranks them just ahead of the United Kingdom and just behind Finland, Malta, and Sweden.
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