US gaming executives remain broadly positive about the sector’s growth prospects, with operators expecting higher revenues, stronger balance sheets and increased capital investment over the next six to 12 months.
The latest Gaming Industry Outlook, produced by the American Gaming Association in partnership with Oxford Economics, found that executive sentiment has reached its highest level since Q3 of 2022. The AGA said the industry’s Gaming Conditions Index rose 1.5% YoY in Q1 of 2026, reflecting growth in real economic activity across the sector.
More than 60% of executives said they expected capital investment, revenue and balance sheet health to improve over the next six to 12 months, while promotional activity is expected to decline for a second consecutive survey period.
Bill Miller, President & CEO of the AGA, said the legal state and tribal regulated gaming industry continued to show resilience in a changing economic environment, adding that operators are investing in innovation and entertainment while managing a more complex competitive and regulatory landscape.
However, prediction markets and sports event contracts have moved sharply up the industry risk agenda. The survey found that 81% of executives viewed prediction markets as a “very significant” threat to the regulated gaming industry. Miller said sports event contracts were increasingly encroaching on legal state and tribal regulated operators, adding that the regulated industry would continue to push back against what it views as a threat to market integrity.
The AGA survey also identified other pressures facing operators. Employee wages were cited by 54% of respondents as the leading expense pressure, followed by tax and regulatory policy changes. Federal regulatory concerns were cited by 46% of executives as limiting operations, up from 29% in Q3 of 2025, while 42% pointed to competition from new forms of gaming.
The survey’s findings underline the strong commercial position of the US gaming sector, but also the growing tension between regulated gambling operators and emerging event-based trading platforms.
