Millennials, Gen Z Fuel Betting Growth, But Winning Streak Might Cool Off

Legalized gambling remains a booming business, and a new report looks at who is betting and why. 

The U.S. Q3 2025 Gaming Report from TransUnion says that the younger generations–millennials and Gen Z–are driving the growth in gambling. But those generations might be facing financial pressure that could lower the odds on them continuing to bet more at casinos and sports books.

Citing data from the United States Census, TransUnion says that total revenue for the betting industry subject to federal income tax grew 8% to $11.1 billion from $1.02 billion between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025. Government tax receipts from gambling grew 30%. 

TransUnion's own Consumer Pulse Survey found that 30% of consumers said they participate in betting in Q2 2025, up considerably from 25% a year ago in Q2 2024.

Among those saying they bet at least $50 a month, online sports books have become nearly as popular as land-based casinos when it comes to where they’re doing their gambling. While those saying the bet at land-based casinos rose to 55% in Q2 from 52%, those betting at online sports books jumped to 52% from 46%. Other popular gambling venues included online casinos, land-based sports books, land-based lotteries and online lotteries.

A lot of the growth in betting is coming from the younger generations that can gamble legally. TransUnion found that 42% of millennials were participating in betting activity, up from 33% a year ago and 34% of Gen Zers said they were betting, up from 2%. Most of that growth in Gen Z betting was happening at online sports books.

Millennials and Gen Zers who are mobile bettors are also financial speculators, according to TransUnion’s data. The proportion of people in those generations who use cryptocurrency, for example, is higher than in older demos. They are also interested in seeking big payoffs in the stock markets, having adventurous vacations and making impulse purchases. 

Unfortunately for the gaming industry, efforts to market to Gen Z and millennials might come up snake eyes because the financial outlook for those generations is coming up craps.

Notably, since the start of 2023, millennials and Gen Zers have seen their debts and monthly debt payments increase. For Gen Zers, their average debt payment is up 27% and for millennials debt payments are up 20%.

“While balance and payment growth are normal as consumers age and begin buying things like homes and cars, the recent upward trajectories for these metrics have strongly outpaced the rate of inflations (6%) and wage growth (8%) over the same period,” the report says. “This may indicate a general ‘tightening’ of household finances among younger generations, which can negatively impact betting participation rates over time as these consumers reduce their discretionary spending to meet growing debt obligations."

Additionally the report notes that discretionary spending on activities like gaming are sensitive to consumer preferences and economic confidence. 

Betting could be curtailed by the resumption of federal student loan repayment and delinquency reporting to credit bureaus, which could limit the amount of money consumers have access to.  The new administration's trade policy could erode confidence and spending. And with additional pressure on business, the  chance for younger consumers in particular to get raises and bonuses could be a problem.

“Ultimately recent trends among younger consumer underscore the need for operators to reassess their responsible gaming practices to ensure sustainable engagement with these segments,” the report says.

# # #

The first commercial after Jimmy Kimmel’s emotional nearly 20-minute monologue in his return to ABC Tuesday was for The Farmer’s Dog in a nearly five-minute commercial break.

After the controversy surrounding Kimmel’s suspension for remarks about the murder of conservative Charlie Kirk, advertisers had to weigh the big expected viewership by people wanting to see what the host would say against potential political blowback.

Advertisers in the show ranged from Apple to The Department of Homeland Security urging people to join ICE.

Tuesday’s episode was also stuffed for promos for Disney shows including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and Chad Powers, a Hulu show starring Kimmel’s first guest actor Glen Powell.

After many canceled their subscriptions to Disney+ to protest Kimmel being taken off the air, an ad for the Disney Streaming Bundle starring John Cena appeared.

There were also ads for numerous films including The Smashing Machine (twice), One Battle After Another, The Running Man and Eleanor The Great.

We shall see what kind of ratings these advertisers got and as Kimmel signed off, “I think I’ll see you tomorrow.”

# # #

Remember the familiar advice to keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Samsung Ads is introducing a new way to identify a competitor's audience and grab their customers.

Samsung’s new Competitive Conquesting product is an expansion of the Optimal Reach product it launched in April. 

The company says Competitive Conquesting delivers actionable share-of-voice insights across linear and streaming and enables marketers to activate against competitor audiences. By targeting the same audiences as competitors, advertisers can increase the chance of converting those viewers into customers. 

“Our vision is to demystify CTV viewership by transforming a fragmented and opaque ecosystem into transparent, actionable insights,” said Michael Scott, VP and head of ad sales and operations at Samsung Ads. “Our Competitive Conquesting offering helps brands reach the most valuable audiences, those reached by their competitors’ advertising, without wasted spend. Precision targeting ensures every dollar drives measurable impact.”