Which Countries Have the Highest Online Gambling Rates?
Key Takeaways
- South Africa (32.3%) and Norway (31.2%) lead the global ranking, with nearly one in three internet users accessing online gambling platforms each month.
- The U.S. (10.2%) has a considerably lower participation rate than other major English-speaking markets, including New Zealand (24.0%), the UK (19.6%), and Australia (18.0%).
- South Korea has the lowest participation rate among the 48 surveyed markets, at just 2.7%.
Online gambling is a global industry, but some of the countries with the highest participation rates may come as a surprise.
The ranking includes countries with very different gambling regulations and market sizes, highlighting how widely online betting habits can differ around the world.
This visualization ranks 48 markets by the share of internet users aged 16 and older who visited an online gambling or betting website or app in the previous month.
Online Gambling Participation by Country
The data comes from GWI’s Q2 2025 survey, published in the Digital 2026 Global Overview Report. The percentages reflect online gambling participation among internet users aged 16 and older, not the general population.
South Africa leads the ranking at 32.3%, narrowly ahead of Norway at 31.2%. Greece follows at 25.8%, while New Zealand ranks fourth at 24.0%.
The table below shows online gambling participation across all 48 surveyed markets.
| Rank | Country / territory | Monthly use (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  South Africa |
32.3% |
| 2 |  Norway |
31.2% |
| 3 |  Greece |
25.8% |
| 4 |  New Zealand |
24.0% |
| 5 |  Ghana |
21.5% |
| 5 |  Hungary |
21.5% |
| 7 |  United Kingdom |
19.6% |
| 8 |  Brazil |
19.0% |
| 9 |  Austria |
18.7% |
| 10 |  Australia |
18.0% |
| 10 |  Nigeria |
18.0% |
| 12 |  Chile |
16.6% |
| 13 |  Kenya |
16.0% |
| 14 |  Portugal |
15.8% |
| 15 |  Croatia |
15.5% |
| 16 |  Thailand |
15.0% |
| 17 |  Hong Kong |
14.9% |
| 18 |  Ireland |
14.8% |
| 19 |  Serbia |
14.4% |
| 20 |  Belgium |
14.3% |
| 20 |  Canada |
14.3% |
| 22 |  Colombia |
13.8% |
| 22 |  Denmark |
13.8% |
| 24 |  Romania |
13.7% |
| 25 |  Mexico |
13.3% |
| 26 |  Germany |
13.2% |
| 27 |  France |
12.7% |
| 28 |  Argentina |
12.5% |
| 28 |  Sweden |
12.5% |
| 30 |  Spain |
12.0% |
| 30 |  Switzerland |
12.0% |
| 32 |  Bulgaria |
11.9% |
| 33 |  Philippines |
11.5% |
| 34 |  Turkey |
11.1% |
| 35 |  Netherlands |
10.9% |
| 36 |  Singapore |
10.6% |
| 37 |  Poland |
10.4% |
| 38 |  United States |
10.2% |
| 39 |  Italy |
10.1% |
| 40 |  Czechia |
9.9% |
| 41 |  India |
7.6% |
| 42 |  Japan |
7.5% |
| 43 |  Morocco |
7.3% |
| 44 |  Russia |
7.0% |
| 45 |  Israel |
6.8% |
| 46 |  Taiwan |
6.5% |
| 47 |  Vietnam |
5.7% |
| 48 |  South Korea |
2.7% |
Ghana and Hungary are tied at 21.5%, rounding out the top six. The United Kingdom (19.6%) and Brazil (19.0%) also rank relatively high.
The United States sits further down the list at 10.2%, below Canada (14.3%). Vietnam (5.7%) and Taiwan (6.5%) are also among the lowest-ranking markets.
South Africa’s Booming Gambling Industry
South Africa’s gambling industry has expanded rapidly in recent years, driven largely by the growth of sports betting and online platforms.
According to the National Gambling Board, gambling turnover reached R1.1 trillion during the 2023/24 financial year, while gross gambling revenue rose 25.7% to R59.3 billion.
Betting accounted for roughly 61% of gambling revenue that year, overtaking casinos as the industry’s largest segment. These figures measure gambling activity and revenue rather than the number of online users, but highlight the scale of South Africa’s betting market.
Norway’s High Participation Despite Strict Regulations
Norway has one of Europe’s more tightly regulated gambling markets, making its position near the top of the ranking particularly notable.
Major gambling activities are controlled by Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto, with the former imposing mandatory loss limits and monitoring players for potentially harmful gambling behavior.
Foreign gambling platforms also face restrictions, including payment blocking and website blocking introduced in 2025. Norway’s high participation rate highlights how strict regulation of gambling operators can coexist with widespread participation.
Online Gambling Varies Widely Within Regions
Some of the largest differences in online gambling participation occur between countries in the same region.
In Africa, South Africa’s participation rate is more than four times Morocco’s 7.3%. Europe shows a similar divide, with Norway reporting nearly three times the rate of the Netherlands (10.9%).
Several other African markets rank relatively high, including Ghana (21.5%), Nigeria (18.0%), and Kenya (16.0%). In South America, Brazil leads the surveyed markets at 19.0%, ahead of Chile (16.6%) and Colombia (13.8%).
How Does the United States Compare?
Despite its large gambling industry, the United States has a relatively low monthly online gambling participation rate compared with several other developed markets.
However, participation rates tell a different story from market size. In our earlier ranking of the world’s largest online gambling markets, the U.S. placed second globally by revenue in 2021, behind only the UK.
A country can have a relatively small share of internet users gambling online while still generating substantial revenue. Ultimately, the GWI survey measures how widespread online gambling activity is, rather than how much money is wagered.
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