It is practically impossible for anyone connected to the internet to go without noticing the sports betting market. It´s everywhere: on the shirts of most sports teams around the world, giving its name to competitions, on billboards, on social media, on the streets, in television commercials, and everywhere else advertising can be placed.
With such extensive marketing, it is easy to see that the market for betting platforms, such as the official 1xBet site for Indonesia, is experiencing enormous financial growth. In this article, we will present the impressive figures that the sector has achieved, as well as some expert predictions for the future. Finally, we will also introduce some basic characteristics that all companies in the industry must comply with.
Sports betting market figures
The financial figures involved in sports betting markets are not easily measurable. Often, estimates do not match the official data released by government agencies. Therefore, we will use as a reference the study “Sports Betting Market: Analysis by Platform, Type, Betting Type, Sports Type By Region – Size, Trends and Forecasts to 2030,” published in June 2025 on the Research and Markets platform.
In short, the research indicates that sports betting generates approximately $109 billion annually. It is estimated that by 2030, the market will be worth almost $199 billion. As the numbers are huge, it can be difficult to grasp what this means in practice. But to give you an idea, the money generated in the sector is similar to that of some giant food industries.
The survey estimates annual growth of 10% in the sports betting market over the next five years. There are several reasons for these predictions: much more investment in marketing, more countries regulating the sector, and new technologies that tend to attract more players.
This fierce competition to attract new customers to betting platforms can greatly benefit users. The trend is for promotions to become increasingly attractive, with great values for players to start playing. This is already common practice in Southeast Asia, where bonuses reach exorbitant amounts and are awarded regularly, sometimes every week.
According to the Statista platform, Asia tends to show lower growth than what is expected globally. The revenue of the sports betting market on the continent is currently projected at around $10 billion, with expected growth of 4.08% per year until 2029. The report projects that the average annual spending of Asians who place bets will be $282 per year.
However, an important caveat is worth noting here. Statista’s analysis does not take into account bets on non-sporting events, such as political elections, reality shows, and cultural awards, such as the Oscars. In addition, it disregards all illegal activities, which unfortunately move a lot of money, as well as bets made through apps, which account for a huge share of the market. Because of this, the projections are more modest.
Another study, this one by imarc, analyzed only the Southeast Asian market. The years 2019 to 2024 were observed to make forecasts for 2025 to 2033. In the subregion, the estimate is for annual growth of 9.12% until 2033, with the market size in 2024 being $3.6 billion.
To summarize all this information, we have prepared a table with the current figures and global, Asian, and Southeast Asian projections.
| Region | Current market | Estimated annual growth | Source of research |
| Worldwide | $109 billion | 10% | Research and Markets |
| Asia | $10 billion | 4.08% | Statista |
| Southeast Asia | $3.6 billion | 9.12% | imarc |
Here, a caveat is in order. Since the forecasts were all made by different institutes, the methodologies are also different. Therefore, the comparison is not accurate, even though it indicates the main trends.
Impact on sports of platforms such as the official 1xBet site for Indonesia
With so much money being moved around in a segment that is intrinsically linked to sports, it is obvious that many sports entities also benefit from the growth of betting platforms. This is through sponsorships that fill club coffers, competitions that can pay higher prizes to teams due to the sale of naming rights to bookmakers, and media channels that earn more by advertising betting during match broadcasts.
To give an idea of the impact that the sports betting market has on sports in general, we will take the most popular sport on the planet, football, as a basis. In one of the most traditional countries for the sport, Brazil, all 20 teams in the national league’s elite are sponsored by bookmakers, all of them with master sponsorship. With this advent, financial growth has been significant. The average sponsorship for large teams, which previously hovered around $5.5 million, has risen to levels close to $20 million.
Globally, the situation is similar. Considering the FIFA Club World Cup, which brought together 32 teams from all continents, there are 17 teams with master sponsorship from bookmakers. However, considering all teams worldwide, none of the 10 largest sponsorship contracts involve a company in this industry.
All this money has brought many more growth opportunities for teams, which have been able to pay higher salaries and invest more in transfers and infrastructure. The impact is extremely positive, with several competitions raising the level of balance and becoming more attractive to spectators. In a large cycle of return, this also ends up yielding larger television deals and larger prizes in championships, in a system that feeds back into itself and makes everyone a winner.
The future of the betting market
Until a decade ago, the world of betting was practically a lawless land. Few countries offered regulations, which meant that companies operated in a gray area of legislation in many territories. Today, regulations are much more common, and the number of places that are completely legalizing the activity is also growing steadily.
This points to a trend for the future of the betting market: increasingly standardized and secure platforms. With regulation, all companies must invest in measures to encourage responsible gambling, as the activity can cause problems for users who are prone to gambling addiction. These measures include:
- The possibility of limiting deposits for a defined period.
- The possibility of self-exclusion from the account. In this case, if the user tries to re-register, they will not be allowed to do so, according to the period defined by the user.
- Indication of platforms that offer help to players with gambling addiction problems.
- Creation of bodies financed by betting companies that offer help to players who need support.
With this standardization promoted by legislation, the security of bookmakers also increases significantly. Payment methods are limited to completely secure and reliable systems. Measures against fraud have also improved. Among the main ones are:
- Complete verification of players’ identities which prevents scammers from impersonating other users and carrying out financial transactions.
- Measures to eliminate any money laundering activity through betting and gaming platforms.
- Automatic referrals to authorities when a match receives an unusual volume of bets on specific lines, which can lead to complex investigations into possible manipulation of results.
In addition to the security and reliability revolutions brought about by regulations, the future of sports betting also involves technological innovations that are trending in various business segments. One of these is the consolidation of cryptocurrency payments on platforms, which brings all the security and privacy of the blockchain system.
Virtual reality is also another major avenue for sports betting. The expectation is that bookmakers will soon be able to offer extremely immersive experiences to users, even with the creation of narratives involving betting.
Playable interfaces during match broadcasts are also likely to become more common. When watching a match on television, you will be able to link your betting account and place your bets live with the TV remote control.
Another trend for the future of sports betting is a greater focus on e-sports betting. Younger generations, who are beginning to reach the legal age to register on platforms, are much more connected to the competitive e-sports scene, which is why these bets are becoming commonplace. Still, many platforms neglect this type of betting, driving users away. Over time, this should change dramatically, with e-sports receiving the same prominence as traditional sports.
Bettors can also benefit from innovations. With the use of artificial intelligence, it is possible to perform much more accurate statistical analyses, increasing the accuracy rate of bets. In other words, everyone tends to win with the evolution of bookmakers.