What is iGaming
iGaming is the working label for the online real-money gambling industry. It encompasses every product that lets a customer wager money over the internet: online casino games (slots, table games, live dealer), sportsbook, online poker, bingo, lottery, and emerging categories such as fantasy sports and crash games. The industry is segmented into B2C (operators serving end customers) and B2B (suppliers serving operators).
The term was coined to distinguish online gambling from retail and land-based gambling, and to bundle together a set of verticals that share regulatory and technical characteristics.
Core verticals
The main iGaming verticals are: online casino (slots, table games, live dealer); sportsbook (pre-match and in-play betting on sporting events); online poker (peer-to-peer card play); bingo; lottery and instant-win products; and adjacent categories such as fantasy sports, esports betting, crash games, and crypto-native gambling. Most large operators span multiple verticals; smaller operators specialise in one.
iGaming as a B2B industry
The B2B side of iGaming includes platform vendors, game studios, aggregators, payment service providers, KYC and AML vendors, CRM platforms, affiliate networks, and managed-service firms. Each layer of the stack is populated by specialist suppliers serving operators under licensing or revenue-share contracts. Gamblers Connect categorises the B2B layer across the iHub directory, with subcategories for platform, content, payments, compliance, and managed services. The B2B economy underpins everything end customers experience.
Frequently asked questions about What Is iGaming?
Largely yes. iGaming is the industry-internal label; online gambling is the broader public-facing term. Both cover the same set of products.
Online casino and sportsbook are the two largest verticals by GGR globally, with relative size varying by jurisdiction. Mature regulated markets typically see casino and sportsbook in close proportions; emerging markets often see one vertical dominant.
Regulation is jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction. Each market has its own licensing regime, tax structure, and product permissions. Operators acquire licences per market and adapt the product to local rules.