PriceWaterhouse Coopers predicts global gambling revenues will rise to above $155 billion in 2012 at an annually compounded rate of 6.5 percent per year. The firm says new casinos and upgrades to existing ones will be the primary drivers of growth.
The Asia Pacific region, particularly Macau, Singapore, and Thailand, are expected to be the world's fastest growing, with projected annual increases of 15.2 percent over the next five years. PWC forecasts that Asia Pacific revenues should mushroom from $18.3 billion in 2007 to $37.2 billion in 2012.
PWC says the U.S. seems certain to remain the largest market, although it will grow at a slower rate than the Asia Pacific region. U.S. revenue is anticipated to rise from $60.3 billion in 2007 at 4 percent annually to reach $73.3 billion in 2012.
Estimated global gambling revenue was $114 billion in 2007.