The World’s Most Popular Casino Games

United Kingdom

Overview

The United Kingdom is one of the most technologically advanced countries in Europe whilst, at the same time, having some of the strictest legislation when it comes to gambling. Whilst sports betting is a major part of the national psyche, online casino games are also hugely popular with players having hundreds of establishments to choose from.

Most popular games

Given the ready availability of superfast mobile connections and how developers now make slots with the small screen in mind, it is no surprise to see this game mode has such popularity and is the UK’s favourite at online casinos by some distance.

With the country also full of famous land casinos – most notably in London – table games also feature heavily in players’ online searches during 2021. Blackjack, roulette and baccarat are also commonly played in the UK; these are available 24/7 with live dealers and fellow players or against the computer. Video poker is the least popular online casino game.

Top 3 online casinos

All three of these casinos are household names in the UK with substantial marketing activities, especially around sporting events. While Bet365 is the biggest casino name in the world, both William Hill and Paddy Power also have a big high street presence with physical shops.

Top 3 game providers

With the UK a nation of slot lovers, it is not surprising that the three most popular providers in 2021 were all specialists in this game mode. All of these providers are well established in the online casino industry and are available at many of the big-name operators.

Sweden

Overview

The Swedish Gambling Authority is tasked with ensuring that gambling activities are safe and fair. With laws in place to ensure that Swedish players can only be targeted by licensed operators, this country is one of the most heavily regulated in Europe and has even seen temporary restrictions in recent years. Still, players based in the country still have a large array of legal websites to gamble at.

Most popular games

Swedes have access to a variety of gambling sites, with our data showing that they are a nation of varied tastes with poker, blackjack and slots both all popular games in 2021. Baccarat, meanwhile, is not a major favourite with players – there were just 150 searches for the year.

With just four land casinos in the whole country – and these focused in the major cities of Malmo, Stockholm, Sundsvall and Goteborg – Swedish players tend to choose online options for convenience. This has the added benefit of also giving the option of generous bonuses when registering for an account.

Top 3 online casinos

Our data shows that Swedish players tend to play at more established casinos. There are, of course, numerous reasons for this trend, but it suggests that they are more likely to put reliability and game selection over the possibility of a more enticing bonus that may be available at newly-established brands.

Top 3 game providers

The sight of Evolution in first place in the Swedish search data backs up blackjack being the game of choice – the company, which is also headquartered in the country, specialises in live casino games and is the industry leader in that respect. NetEnt is also a sister company of Evolution.

Argentina

Overview

As the third most populated country in South America, Argentina is home to over 45 million people and has a major appetite for casino games. While regulations are strict and vary from region to region, players still have plenty of approved casino options available with table games especially popular going off our 2021 data.

Most popular games

Poker, blackjack and roulette dominated the Argentinian search habits last year with players seemingly after the most authentic casino experience possible. Technology, of course, means that this can now also be enjoyed at any time and in any place on a mobile device. Interestingly, online slots, with 150 annual searches, are nowhere near as popular as in most European countries.

Top 3 online casinos

Argentinian players enjoy having lots of variety when it comes to online casino games and these three operators all have huge games libraries as well as ongoing promotions, making them well established in the country.

Top 3 game providers

Given that games of skill are preferred by Argentinian casino players, MGA is an obvious choice due to the company’s huge variety of games – the brand is hugely popular in Spanish-speaking countries and has a big selection of roulette and blackjack titles as well as slots.

Chile

Overview

In early 2022, Chile joined the growing list of countries to regulate online gambling in the country. The new law includes taxes for both players and operators and will result in a new regulator being established. As it stands, casino players have a huge number of legitimate sites to bet at when compared to some neighbouring countries.

Most popular games

Of the casino games that we compared, poker was by some distance the most popular online casino choice for Chilean players, with 1000 searches in 2021. This is followed by blackjack, roulette, baccarat and – well behind – slots, with players again preferring table games to online slots, which are widely seen as requiring less skill.

Top 3 online casinos

Our data indicates that players in Chile tend to have a few favourite casinos that they are content with and likely to stay loyal to – there was huge search volume for the first two operators especially in 2021, with both having over 90,000 separate searches.

Top 3 game providers

It is a surprise to see Big Time Gaming make an appearance in the top three software providers favoured by players from Chile, given that the company specialises in slots. However, BTG is also renowned for its creation and use of exciting technology such as Megaways, so players may be searching for specific titles.

Colombia

Overview

Colombia is a fast-growing market in the gambling industry, with huge growth reported in 2021. The country was the first in Latin America to implement full gambling regulation back in 2016. There is a major market for players that bet on both sports events and casino games online, and a decent number of licensed operators for players to choose from. The South American nation also has 87 land-based casinos.

Most popular games

When it comes to online casino games, Colombian players strongly prefer to play table games. Poker, with 900 queries for 2021, is the most popular and well ahead of blackjack and roulette. Baccarat and online slots have a small search volume so are considered niche game modes in the country. Colombian players strongly enjoy games that can involve strategy and this is especially clear when compared to other nations that we analysed.

Top 3 online casinos

Each of these three online casinos has a great array of poker game options, which tallies with the search volume data that we outlined. The popularity of Codere in Colombia is absolutely huge with 122,000 searches made in 2021 – the casino also has legendary footballer Carlos Valderrama as a brand ambassador.

Top 3 game providers

As with other Spanish-speaking countries that we have data for, MGA is once again the leading casino provider. Colombian players had 11,000 searches, just under 1,000 per month on average, which is higher than the next two combined.

Mexico

Overview

With a population of almost 130 million, Mexico is a huge market for gamblers. The country has a fanatical sports following but casino game options are also plentiful. In terms of legislation, online gambling is not strictly regulated, yet players from the country still have a range of big-name casinos to play all of the favourites at.

Most popular games

Online poker is, by some distance, the most popular casino activity for Mexican players. That covers the game generally, while there was also sizeable search volume for variations such as video poker and Texas hold ‘em in 2021.

For the other casino games that we tracked for the country, roulette and then blackjack are the next most popular, with both baccarat and slots respectively not garnering much attention.

Top 3 online casinos

Much like Colombia, Mexico had a mammoth appetite for Codere Casino in 2021 with 169,000 searches across the 12 months. Even taking into account the huge population, this still shows how popular the casino is in the country. Strendus and Betway make up the top three, with both also having a large Mexican following.

Top 3 game providers

MGA is a provider that prides itself on both variety and the ability to localise games per market; both are major reasons for its success in several countries that we analysed. In Mexico, the brand had over 1,000 searches a month throughout last year, putting it well in front of Big Time Gaming and Playtech, which both specialise in slots.

Peru

Overview

Due to the combination of player demand and a relaxed legislative environment for offshore casino operators, Peru is a booming gambling market with plenty of online options for residents. Players in the country have a varied taste in game types with online poker the most searched for in 2021. Physical betting, with 48 casinos nationwide, is also a major pastime.

Most popular games

The three leading game searches in Peru were all table games which makes sense given the major land-based industry that also exists in the country. Online poker had around 900 searches for the year which is a sizeable amount. Blackjack, roulette and slots all have well over 100 searches for the year, with baccarat the smallest by a distance with just 80.

Top 3 online casinos

The top three 2021 casinos in Peru all had absolutely huge search volume with Betsson, Inkabet and Betsafe receiving 1.32 million, 745,000 and 175,000 search queries each. This shows the strength of the casino industry in the country. Each of them is an established brand in the country with a fantastic array of titles and player bonuses.

Top 3 game providers

Peruvian players do not seem to spend huge amounts of time researching game providers, especially when compared to the huge numbers seen with the casinos themselves. Regardless, Playtech, MGA and Pragmatic Play are standard inclusions at all major casinos. The highest volume in our data is Playtech with 450 searches for 2021.

Japan

Overview

The East Asian nation is one of the most forward-thinking countries in the world with an enviable technology sector, meaning that mobile use is high for casino players. Legally, legislation and restrictions focus on Japanese websites so residents are allowed to play at a large number of foreign websites with many of the biggest names offering their services.

Most popular games

Roulette is a hugely popular game in Japan – our data for 2021 shows that it had 146,000 searches in Japan. This is closely followed by slots (121,000) and baccarat. Poker and baccarat have substantially less volume but the numbers that our graph displays prove that this is a major country of gamblers.

Top 3 online casinos

With Japan the only Asian country that we have data for, there is no surprise whatsoever that players there favour three brands that are not popular elsewhere on our list. Konibet has a large fanbase, with 21,000 players looking to play games there. Casitabi and Winning Kings are also casino brands that are not ordinarily played at by European or South American punters.

Top 3 game providers

Though Play’n GO is primarily known for its impressive range of slots, the provider also has a decent supply of table games, including European Roulette Pro, which could go some way to explaining the appetite in Japan to search for the company. Nextgen and Playtech similarly have big catalogues of games and are available at many of the foreign casino sites enjoyed by Japanese players.

Finland

Overview

Gambling is a popular pastime in Finland with new brands being introduced regularly and there are two major land-based casinos in the country There are plenty of established and legitimate online casinos to choose from with players enjoying the convenience that comes with them. The industry has seen major growth in recent years.

Most popular games

Online poker, or nettipokeri, is the most popular game mode for casino players in Finland with 700 searches. Slots also have a large audience in the country, as is shown in the choice of game providers that our data also displays. In contrast, baccarat does not have any meaningful search volume and there is only very limited interest in blackjack. This is unlike most other countries, which tend to have at least a passing interest in all five games that we tracked.

Top 3 online casinos

Paf Casino is a hugely popular operator in Finland, with the company headquartered in the country and focusing heavily on the domestic market. In 2021, there were a huge 418,000 searches in Finland for the casino, showing that it is the clear market leader. Unibet and Bet365 are both globally renowned companies and make the top three.

Top 3 game providers

This data also backs up the search data that we have for games of choice in Finland – Evolution is the market leader when it comes to live dealer titles, which are widely seen as the most realistic versions. The company has multiple variations of online poker, while it is also the parent company of NetEnt which has a focus on high-quality slots.