January Online Game Report: Evolution’s US market stronghold continues

Each month, Eilers & Krejcik Gaming releases its US-focused Online Game Performance Report alongside Fantini Research.

Gathering data directly from operators across 30 websites, the report provides an in-depth recap of US online casino and iGaming performance.

Below are some of the latest standout market figures, through to December 2022, presented in partnership with iGaming NEXT.

Top US iGaming suppliers by GGR

Evolution held onto the top spot as the leading US iGaming supplier by GGR included in the report.

The live casino specialist managed to increase its overall market share of GGR from 29.8% to 30.7%.

That growth came at least in part at the expense of several smaller suppliers, for example Digital Gaming Corporation, whose share of GGR fell from 6.8% in November’s report to just 5.2%.

Gaming Realm’s share of GGR also slipped from 2.8% to 2.6%, a reduction which saw it fall from sixth position to seventh. 

High 5 Games also took a serious tumble from 2.7% of GGR in seventh position to 2.1%, in tenth.

Evolution’s biggest competitors, meanwhile, managed to hang onto their respective positions for another month.

IGT secured second position with 21.6% of GGR – consistent with previous reports – while Light & Wonder continued in third, as its share of GGR grew modestly from 17.3% to 17.4%.

December was also a good month for Everi, whose share of GGR grew from 8.1% in E&K’s November report to 8.8% in the latest edition. The firm continued in fourth place in the rankings.

Ainsworth, meanwhile, was the leaderboard’s biggest mover, doubling its share of GGR from 0.8% in November’s report to 1.6%, and moving from 13th to 11th position as a result.

Top performing games by GGR

The performance of the US market’s most-played individual game titles showed no signs of slowing down this month.

IGT’s Blackjack continued to account for a relatively mammoth proportion of customer spend, accounting for 2.68% of all US iGaming GGR included in the report (up from 2.65%).

Evolution’s Live Dealer Roulette held onto its place in second, though its overall share of GGR took quite a dive from 2.42% to 2.09%.

Light & Wonder’s 88 Fortunes slot continued in third position, growing its share of GGR from 1.73% to 2.01%.

Evolution’s own version of Blackjack, meanwhile, slipped significantly, from being the fourth highest grossing game on the leaderboard with 1.39% of GGR, to 12th position with just 1.03%.

It was replaced in fourth place by Everi’s Cash Machine, whose share of GGR grew steadily from 1.37% to 1.54%.

IGT’s Fortune Coin and Cleopatra slots also continued to perform admirably, as they took up fifth and sixth position, respectively.

New entrants on the top grossing titles rankings included Evolution’s Christmas-themed Jingle Bells Power Reels, which accounted for 0.47% of December’s GGR, and Light & Wonder’s Dancing Drums Explosion, which generated 0.55%.

Evolution’s renowned Starburst slot also continued to deliver for the supplier, bringing in 0.79% of total GGR in 15th position, up from 0.57% in 20th place.

In the report, Evolution supplied 12 of the top 25 individual game titles, while IGT supplied six, Light & Wonder supplied three and Everi, AGS, Reel Play and Digital Gaming Corporation each supplied one.

GGR by supplier and game type

Looking at the breakdown of GGR by game type for the top US iGaming suppliers, each of the firm’s areas of expertise is laid bare.

Evolution’s dominance can be seen in its 22.4% share of slot GGR and 34.1% of table games revenue, while it continues to account for all of the live casino GGR included in the report.

Light & Wonder continues to be the firm’s biggest competitor in the slots market, with a 20.5% share of GGR for the game type, while it also holds 13.3% of table games revenue and 24.3% of instant win GGR.

IGT holds an undeniably strong lead in the table games segment with 47.3% of all revenue, while it also holds firmly onto third position in the slots category with 19.1% of revenue there.

The firm has a diverse portfolio of offerings, also generating upwards of 94% of video poker revenue included in the report and 8.4% of instant win GGR.

While no firms look set to challenge the dominance of the slots segment’s big three, Everi holds a respectable 11.3% of slot GGR while Digital Gaming Corporation and AGS account for 6.7% and 3.4%, respectively.

Gaming Realms, meanwhile, is the standout supplier in the instant win category with 39.4% of revenue, while Design Works Gaming generated 15.7% of GGR in that segment.

Proportion of the market included in the report

Eilers & Krejcik includes a vast quantity of data in its reports, covering some 59% of the US iGaming market and now tracking more than 38,000 separate game titles every month across 30 online casino sites.

The growth in the number of games tracked by the firm, as well as the number of online casinos available to US consumers – from just a handful in recent years to more than 40 today – demonstrate the growth of regulated online casino products across the US.

With legalised iGaming available in just a few states, however, the data included in this report shows the beginning of the vertical’s growth trajectory, which will be further driven by the introduction of new legislation and regulation across additional US states in the months and years to come. 

If you are interested in learning more, subscribing, or participating in the Eilers-Fantini Online Game Performance Database, reach out to Rick Eckert at reckert@ekgamingllc.com.