The global betting market is dominated by the US and UK, where sports betting is commonplace and sports events are mainstream. However, market leaders can often get blind sided by their own complacency, and rising markets can work harder to innovate to take some market share.
What Is Up-And-Coming?
An “up-and-coming” market is more than just a population with an appetite for betting. It’s a market that is developing its regulation, showing maturity as a reliable space to conduct business. This way, more money, like R&D, can be channelled here because of the certainty about what it will look like in a few years. Technology is also an important factor here. Having an educated population that are ready to work on developing new platforms is what drives consumer usability.
The Belgian Model – Structured & Mature
Belgium is a good example of an overlooked, mature and regulated online gambling environment. Each legal online casino in Belgium lies within a unique and tightly controlled system. Online licenses (like A+ for casinos or F1+ for betting) are directly tethered to existing land-based operations casinos arcades and betting shops. This actually creates a closed loop monitored by the active Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC). So, player safety is at the forefront, and stringent player protection is everything.
Belgium enforces deposit limits and has a comprehensive EPIS exclusion system.
Yet, in many ways, its the center of Europe (or, at least, the EU), making is a great place for European sports betting. The tech scene is mature, and gambling platforms have sophisticated features.
Latin America’s Potential
Latin America has a bunch of betting potential. The region has a wave of English-speaking, tech-educated workers where wages are moderate but productivity is rising. Colombia in particular has had some early success, with its regulator (Coljuegos) having a clear licensing process that is effectively tackling the black market. The situation has only recently stabilized, and while some domestic sports have corruption, local betting companies accept bets on international games.
Brazil is, of course, the continent’s giant. It’s on the cusp of something big, but we’re not yet sure it will happen. Its path towards regulating online sports betting has been interesting, and iGaming is complex with debates over tax structures and license requirements. But the huge population and deep passion for sports shows its potential, and once the regulation stablizes, may well become a continental powerhouse.
Esports & Skill-Based Gaming
Beyond geography, there are also specific betting verticals. Esports continues its ascent as it taps into the mainstream hobby of gaming, but betting on gaming is far from mainstream, thus giving it masses of potential.
It’s now more common to play video games than soccer, and so the potential for betting on controlled competitions is vast. Frameworks are still maturing, with Nevada and Malta being two important hubs for eSports betting rules. There is also the potential for skill-based gambling, in which bettors back themselves, much like they do on slots, but with skill elements. This taps into the video game psyche, but through the lens of a traditional activity like casino gaming. The two could eventually converge fully, like in the Metaverse, but we have yet to fully understand where the chips will fall.
The Global Landscape
The future of betting growth is certainly unpredictable. With tariffs and local regulations, it’s possible that we aren’t going to witness much more globalisation within betting. However, global influences can remain strong, such as up-and-coming markets pushing boundaries that bigger companies will follow – even if they’re watching from across the border.
