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New Study Reveals Economic and Social Risks of iGaming
In response to the increasing concerns over the social and economic risks of iGaming, the gaming and entertainment business leaders have joined forces to launch the National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG).
The organization is formed in opposition to the expansion of iGaming and its well-reported economic and social dangers and urges other local businesses, employee unions, and community groups to mobilize in their effort to protect local communities.
A new study for NAAiG by The Innovation Group, a research and advisory firm specializing in gaming, hospitality, and tourism that has previously conducted multiple studies of online gambling for state governments and industry stakeholders, debunks the myth that iGaming offers easy revenue for states. Instead, the study uncovers the damaging effects of iGaming expansion, exposing widespread job losses and significant declines in economic output across multiple states.
Main findings of the report:
Land-based casino revenue drops by 16% on average after iGaming is introduced, leading to substantial job losses, hundreds of millions of dollars in lost economic output and reduced tax contributions that fund public services.
States introducing iGaming face significant economic losses, with projected job cuts reaching 4921 in New York and 4733 in Illinois by 2029.
iGaming results in significant losses for states in economic output. All states analyzed would see massive GDP reductions, including Ohio ($602 million), Indiana ($428 million), Maryland ($372 million), and Colorado ($313 million).
States’ net tax gains from iGaming are limited, even before accounting for the increased social costs associated with its high rates of problem gambling and related social ills. For instance, Louisiana, Maryland, and Mississippi could all see negative net tax revenue due to displaced in-person gaming dollars and related impacts on state and local economies.
Brick-and-mortar casinos in every state would face significant revenue losses due to iGaming cannibalization. Projections reach up to $983.7 million in New York, $545.3 million in Illinois, $522.6 million in Ohio, and $342.6 million in Maryland by 2029.
The introduction of iGaming reduces in-person casino employment, with an estimated 2818 jobs lost in Ohio, 2642 in Louisiana and 1906 in Mississippi.
The job losses caused by iGaming will result in massive reductions each year in employee wages and related taxes for states. Annual labor income losses would reach nearly $110 million in Colorado and Maryland, $204 million in Ohio, nearly $300 million in Illinois, and nearly $450 million in New York.
States with iGaming experience an 8.3% decline in distributed gaming revenue, impacting taverns and small gaming establishments.
Projected U.S. gambling losses from iGaming are expected to surpass $1 trillion by 2028, straining local economies and public health resources.
“These statistics underscore the urgent need for action. iGaming’s unchecked access to gambling on cell phones is bad public policy that threatens local jobs and businesses and will cost states. When increased social costs caused by iGaming higher rates of underage and problem gambling are considered, the net tax revenue results are uniformly negative for every state,” said Mark Stewart, EVP & General Counsel of The Cordish Companies and NAAiG board member. “
“Beyond the lack of any real upside for states, iGaming puts vulnerable individuals at greater risk of problem gambling and financial instability. NAAiG is uniting stakeholders to push back and stop the spread of these harmful trends and advocate for responsible gaming policies,” said NAAiG board member Jason Gumer, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Monarch Casino & Resort Inc.
“iGaming is eroding our communities. This isn’t just about responsible gaming—it’s about protecting local family-sustaining jobs and preventing financial harm. In Maryland alone, iGaming could cost $372 million in economic output, $342.6 million in lost casino revenue and nearly $110 million in annual wages. We must act now to protect our state and local economies nationwide,” said Shannon McCracken, Senior Director of Government Relations at Churchill Downs Incorporated and NAAIG board member.
The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) has announced Chief Tammy Cook-Searson, of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, as its new Board Chair for SIGA’s Board of Directors.
SIGA is a non-profit First Nation gaming operator for seven land-based casinos and the online gaming platform PlayNow.com in Saskatchewan.
Chief Cook-Searson first joined SIGA’s Board of Directors in 2018 and has been a regular SIGA Board member as well as a member of SIGA’s Audit & Finance Committee.
She is serving in her 20th year as Chief of Lac La Ronge Indian Band and has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and a graduate diploma in management from Athabasca University. She also holds honorary degrees from the University of Regina, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) and Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
Chief Cook-Searson replaces outgoing Board Chair former Chief of Muskowekwan First Nation Reginald Bellerose, who has held the Board Chair position since February 4, 2015.
SCCG Management has announced a strategic partnership with Applift, the world’s top performance App Store Optimization (ASO) agency. This partnership will introduce Applift’s proprietary ASO technology and advanced growth strategies to gaming companies worldwide, leveraging SCCG’s unmatched distribution capabilities and expansive gaming ecosystem of 120+ client partners.
Applift has earned a reputation as the gold standard in app growth by delivering data-driven ASO strategies powered by proprietary AI tools and the most comprehensive keyword intelligence system in the industry. Their work drives top keyword rankings, scalable user acquisition, and real business impact – increasing FTDs, improving retention, and maximizing LTV for some of the world’s most successful gaming, finance, utility, and AI apps.
Through this partnership, SCCG will activate its global network — with offices in every major gaming market across North America, LATAM, Europe, Africa, and Asia — to bring Applift’s breakthrough ASO technology to gambling companies seeking to scale user acquisition, boost visibility, and outperform the competition in app stores.
“At SCCG, we identify and scale the technologies that shape the future of gambling,” said Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management.
“Applift’s ASO platform is a game-changer. Our partnership gives gaming companies a proven solution to turn mobile visibility into performance at scale — and our global presence ensures the right operators and platforms benefit from this innovation.”
“At Applift, we’ve helped top gaming apps dominate the app stores, turning visibility into performance and installs into high-value users — all through our unmatched ASO technology and data-driven approach. Partnering with SCCG is a natural step forward. Their strategic footprint in the gaming world perfectly complements our ability to scale app growth at the highest level. Together, we’re not just optimizing – we’re redefining how gaming brands win in the app stores. I couldn’t be more confident in what we’ll achieve,” said Bar Nakash, CEO of Applift.
Casinosfiables announced that they have redesigned their existing site – https://casinosfiables.ca/ to better address current user demands.
Although the site’s functionality aligns with modern industry standards, the redesign is a step in the right direction and could very well give a competitive edge.
The changes addressed certain functionality concerns and aligned with ever-changing user preferences and behavior.
• Seamless page transition – The overall performance of the site improved, so pages loaded faster, despite the addition of new elements.
• Integrated social media buttons – Buttons that lead to social media pages became more visible, so it is easier for readers to complete engagement incentives that granted them affiliate-exclusive rewards or promo codes.
• More valuable insights – Previously, charts and ratings were only explained in separate reviews. The new roundup charts and ratings had a dropdown feature that provided more insights or clarity behind the rating.
• Relevant search filters – Some trends or categories that targeted user intent weren’t visible in the previous version. The updated version introduced new categories that better reflected player preferences, or included roundups based on casino features (e.g., cashback, no wager promos, game providers) that weren’t at the forefront previously.
• Author pages – Readers who had similar opinions and game preferences to the site’s authors gained the ability to find other texts from those authors. Each casino expert received a dedicated page listing all of their publications.
The changes were finalized over the past few months. The team pushed these updates in batches rather than a single big update.
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