Las Vegas is all about its casinos. Casinos are why Sin City has become the paragon of fun and entertainment that it is. In 2025, the casino scene is changing. While it’s apparent to those who know the industry that brick and mortar casinos will never fall out of style of favour, they are having to make adjustments and diversify to manage the steady influx of online casinos that’s been happening over the last few years. Online casinos have the potential to change, though not end business for brick and mortar casinos, and Vegas is feeling that change. So what is happening in the online casino industry that’s shaking things up? Let’s find out.

A Brief History of Online Casinos

Online casinos were born in the tech-heavy environment of the 1990s. In 1994, the Free Trade and Processing Act was enacted, which established the legal basis for online gambling. That same year, Microgaming was founded, and the industry began. Most people had classic but slow dial-up internet in the 90s, so the game selection was far smaller and the games far simpler to accommodate those slow speeds; card games and elementary slot offerings. Planet Poker pioneered online poker in 1998, and by the end of that year, more than 700 online casinos were registered. By 2010, online gambling had increased by 12.5%, and loyal gamblers took the time to play casino games online 10% more than previously. According to Globe Newswire, the online gambling industry is USD 103 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 169.22 billion by 2030.

What’s Happening In Online Vegas Casinos?

These are the trends driving online casinos in 2025, and also the trends predicted to continue for the rest of the year.

1.  Sponsorships Are Driving Growth

With online sports betting on the rise as a part of the online gambling industry, it makes sense that sponsorships are helping to drive the growth. Some online casinos are backing their or their region’s favourite teams and sponsoring them as part of a marketing strategy to get more eyes on their casinos. A good example is BC. GAME signed a sponsorship with the Argentine Football Association in 2022. The team has the support of BC during the Qatar FIFA Cup.

2.  Convenient Payment Options Make Things Easy

Who doesn’t like their life to be a little easier? The industry’s maturation has brought many payment options, including crypto options that make paying into accounts and getting money out of them a little safer, a lot faster, and certainly a lot simpler. Making things as easy as possible is a surefire way to ensure repeat customers.

3.  North America Is Growing Fast

North America is the fastest-growing online casino market in the world. Online gambling is only regulated in Pennsylvania, Nevada, and New Jersey (unsurprisingly, Nevada and New Jersey are in on the action as they are the two casino capitals of the US, particularly Las Vegas and Atlantic City), which means that only casinos based in these states are legal US online casinos. With Pennsylvania being the latest and largest state to jump on the bandwagon, it’s logical to expect that more states will follow because of the increasing demand and the fact that a massive financial pie is being cut, and everyone in the casino business will likely want a piece.

4.  Immersive and Hybrid Experiences

Consider casinos like Las Vegas. These physical locations offer an exciting escape from everyday life in the form of not just casinos but also resorts. There’s shopping, pampering, gambling, dining, and more to be done, but even when you’re in Vegas, gambling doesn’t have to be in person. As tech steadily advances, more and more opportunities arise for brands like these that have physical casinos to incorporate a combination of physical and online experiences, and they are grabbing those opportunities with both hands. You can experience a live dealer game either online from the comfort of your room or in person on the casino floor, for example.

AR and VR are set to play a much larger role in online casinos, elevating the immersive experience and making them feel as much as possible like being there in person. Consider games like Pokémon GO: the augmented reality component of that game places Pokémon into the player’s world, which in turn makes them feel as though they are in the world of Pokémon. Online casinos are beginning to take this approach as the tech becomes more readily available to bring players “into” the casino’s environment. VR brings something different to the online casino industry. Instead of bringing the casinos into the player’s world, VR devices like headsets and chairs aim to bring the player into the casino world.

Sin City, Online Edition?

Online casinos in Las Vegas and the rest of the United States are growing in leaps and bounds. As time and effort continue to remain commodities, the online casino industry is predicted to continue its growth and become something even more entertaining than it is today.