Optimove Insights: US leads in spend and betting volumes over global players

The April 2025 report analyzes data from over 3.2 million US players and 21 million global players to benchmark performance across casino and sports betting.

Key insights

• US players spend more: US bettors’ deposit amount keeps outperforming the global average with an average of $606 in April 2025, nearly three times higher than the global average, which stands at $204. The US monthly average peaked in April 2025, marking a 16% year-over-year increase.
• Casino activity remains strong: US casino bettors averaged $8,348 per month over the past 12 months, 6.3x the global average of $1,327 — ending at $8,152 in April. In April the number of US casino bettors rose 30% year-over-year (versus 12% globally).
• Sports betting surges, then slows: US average monthly sports betting peaked at $1,150 in April 2025 (versus $380 globally). However, with the end of the NFL season, the number of active US sports bettors dropped, showing just a 10% increase year-over-year in April, compared to 97% stability globally.
• Global players more engaged: Global players remained active more days per month than US players — averaging 9.01 vs. 8.04 days in April 2025 — a consistent 12% gap in engagement.
• Retention higher globally: Global retention averaged 70.4% in April 2025, consistently outperforming the US retention rate of 64.8%.

Conclusion

While the US market continues to lead in player spend and betting volumes, global markets show superior engagement and retention. US growth remains closely linked to seasonal events and regulatory expansion, with future success tied to boosting long-term customer engagement and retention strategies.

Report metrics

• Source: Betting trends in US compared to the global benchmark in the trailing 12 months (April 2024-2025)
• Database: A 12-month average of over 3.2 million active players per month in the US and over 21.3 million globally.

Category: Average deposit amount

Key findings: Average deposit amounts greatest in the US

In monthly average total deposit amounts, the US consistently outpaces the global average, maintaining values more than twice as high throughout the year.

The US average peaked at $606 in April 2025, marking a 16% year-over-year increase, while the 12-month average stood at $544.

Global deposit amounts remained relatively stable, reaching $204 in April 2025, representing a 4% increase in April year over year.

Definition of average deposit amount: The average deposit amount is calculated by taking the total sum of all deposits and dividing it by the number of sports and casino bettors (players) who have made at least one deposit.

Category: Total monthly casino betting amount and number of casino bettors growth

Key findings: US leads in both betting amount and number of casino bettors’ growth

Throughout the period, the US consistently outpaced global averages, with an average of $8,348 per bettor over the period compared to $1,327 globally. The US average amounted to $8,152 in April 2025 while the global average stands on $1,337.

In number of casino bettors’ growth, the US market saw significant growth, rising from the April 2024 baseline of 100% to 130% (30% growth) by April 2025. Global growth was more moderate, increasing to 112% over the same period. The most notable growth for the US occurred in January 2025, peaking at 142%

Definition of total monthly casino bet amount: The average casino bet amount is the total sum of all casino bets and divided by the number of bettors who have placed at least one casino bet.

Definition of casino bettors growth trend: Calculated by dividing the total number of casino bettors each month by the number of casino bettors in April 2024, which serves as the baseline (100%).

Category: Total monthly sports betting amount & number of sport bettors growth

Key findings: The US consistently outpaced global averages in monthly average sports bet amounts peaking at $1,150 in April 2025, however with a slight decrease in number of sport bettors since February 2025 with the end of the NFL season.

Throughout the period, the US consistently outpaced global averages in monthly average sports bet amounts. The US average peaked at $1,150 in April 2025, the highest level of average sport bet amount observed since April 2024.

In contrast, the global average remained steady, reaching $380 in April 2025.

In terms of the number of sport bettors, the US market experienced a sharp decrease over the past two months, reaching only 10% increase in April 2025 compared to April 2024.

Global growth remained more stable, changing from 100% to 97% over the same period.

Definition of total monthly sport bet amount: The average sport betting amount is the total sum of all sports bets and divided by the number of bettors who have placed at least one sports bet.

The sport bettors growth trend: Calculated by dividing the total number of sport bettors each month by the number of sport bettors in April 2024, which serves as the baseline (100%).

Category: Average number of activity days per active customer

Key findings: The global market consistently maintained a higher engagement level than the US by 12%

Unlike trends in casino and sports betting, the global market consistently maintained a higher engagement level than the US, with 12% more activity days on average per active customer throughout the period. In April 2025 the US average stands at 8.04 days in a month per active customer while the global average stands at 9.01. 

Definition of average activity days: The average number of activity days is the total number of activity days divided by the number of bettors who have at least one activity day.

Category: Average active retention rate

Key findings: Although retention rates remained relatively close, the global market consistently outperformed the US

While retention rates between the US and global markets remained close throughout the period, the global rate consistently outperformed the US in most months. The global average in April 2025 stands at 70.4% compared to 64.8% in the US.

Definition of active retention rate: The percentage of bettors who were active in the preceding month and remained active in the current month.

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