(PRESS RELEASE) -- The vast majority of online gambling brands serving U.S. players operate without a local license.
According to Blask’s latest analysis of the U.S. iGaming landscape, 290 out of 362 operators active in the American online gambling ecosystem (approximately 80%) are offshore platforms operating outside domestic regulatory frameworks. The data highlights a structural reality of the U.S. market, while regulation has expanded significantly over the past decade, offshore operators still dominate the competitive landscape in terms of brand presence.
Offshore dominance extends beyond brand countThis dominance is not limited to the number of operators. It also translates into a substantial share of total market value. Blask estimates that the total U.S. online gambling market reached approximately $79.8B in Competitive Earning Baseline* (CEB) in 2025. Of that total, only around $25.2B was captured by licensed domestic operators, while the majority flowed to offshore platforms.
In other words, roughly three quarters of the U.S. market value remains outside the regulated ecosystem, despite more than a decade of state-by-state legalization.
A fragmented regulatory landscapeThe persistence of offshore dominance is closely tied to the fragmented structure of U.S. gambling regulation. Several of the country’s largest markets still operate without any online gambling legalization, while many regulated states allow sports betting but not online casinos — creating structural gaps that offshore platforms continue to fill.
For example:
- New York, the largest U.S. state market by CEB, still sees roughly 60% of its online gambling value flow offshore.
- Ohio records one of the highest offshore shares among major markets, with approximately 83% of its CEB outside the regulated sector.
- California and Texas, the two largest unregulated states, together represent nearly $10B in entirely offshore market activity.
Regulation reduces offshores, not eliminates themStates that offer full online gambling regulation, including both sports betting and casino, show significantly lower offshore penetration. Markets such as New Jersey and Michigan capture roughly three quarters of their online gambling value domestically, demonstrating that comprehensive regulation can meaningfully increase channelization.
However, no U.S. jurisdiction has fully eliminated offshore activity.
The data suggests that regulation shifts market balance rather than removing offshore competition entirely — a dynamic that continues to define the structure of the American online gambling industry.
- Projected earning baseline, based on Blask metrics