Mobile Casino Gaming Market in South Asia

The world of online gaming has come a long way since its humble beginnings, when physical gambling in underground gambling dens, at gaming houses, or at home during Diwali were the only means of playing. Today, thanks to the widespread availability of personal devices, people from all over the world can access all sorts of games online.

 

In this article, we will be taking a closer look at the mobile casino gaming market in South Asia, based on data from online operator Casino Days, exploring the devices favored by players and dissecting the reasons why certain device types or brands are preferred over others.

Mobile Devices vs Desktop for Playing Casino Games

The Casino Days report shows that just 2.90% of South Asian players use computers to play casino games, while only 0.50% use a tablet. The remaining 96.60% is players using mobile devices to play. This data shows the massive shift towards mobile devices in this region, and the reasons for this trend are numerous.

 

Interestingly, while iOS devices are popular among European players, only 2.23% of South Asian players use these devices. Instead, Chinese brands Xiaomi (21.90%) and Vivo (20.79%) are the most preferred brands among players in this region, followed by Samsung in third place with 18.10% of users.

Data: Why Xiaomi holds a big market share

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The South Asian statistics are interesting, especially when looking at Samsung grabbing first place in the number of users worldwide, followed by Apple and then Xiaomi. The fact that Apple places ahead of Xiaomi worldwide but isn’t even reaching 3% of Casino Days’ South Asian users does give us a fascinating picture on how different brand penetration is around the world.

 

One of the reasons for Xiaomi’s popularity in South Asia is likely due to its affordable pricing. Xiaomi offers a wide range of smartphones with a good mix of features at competitive prices. Additionally, Xiaomi has a strong presence in India, the largest of the South Asian countries, with a market share of 29.70%, making it the second-largest smartphone vendor in the country. Xiaomi has also focused on building its brand in South Asia, by collaborating with local companies and sponsoring popular events. The brand’s popularity is likely to grow even further as it continues to innovate and expand its product offerings.

Android’s Dominance on the Asian Market

Another interesting trend we’ve observed in South Asia’s mobile casino gaming market is the dominance of the Android operating system. Android holds close to 79% of the market share in Asia, compared to 68.79% worldwide. It’s the preferred operating system for a plethora of users, the main reason being that it is open-sourced, allowing for greater accessibility of apps and software. An open-source OS makes it easier to create and release applications, as the review processes for each app are much less stringent than that of Apple.

 

Additionally, the affordability of Android devices is another reason for its strong footprint in the region. The vast majority of mobile brands used by South Asian Casino Days players are either Chinese or South Korean, and they are also manufactured locally. Depending on the brand, production of the device is made in countries like India, China, South Korea, and Vietnam, which cuts the cost greatly while also making them widely available, even in the most rural areas of South Asia.

Potential Revenue and Tax Contribution of the Gambling Sector in India

By FY 2027-2028, online gaming operators would be contributing nearly ₹1 lakh crore in annual revenue taxes. Should India manage to bring the entire gambling sector out of the grey economy, taxes alone would pass ₹9 lakh crore by the same fiscal year.

 

This is a significant potential revenue source for the government, and something that the Centre currently only collects a fraction of. When it comes to taxes, companies operating in the online gambling sector are subject to a revenue tax, 12% surcharge, and 4% Health and Education Cess, meaning that about half of a company’s earnings are collected back as taxes.

Why Asia’s Mobile Market hold a tremendous potential

The popularity of mobile gaming in South Asia is driven by the affordability and availability of devices and operating systems like Android. The mobile gaming industry is a significant contributor to the Indian economy and holds tremendous potential for further growth.

 

As we move forward, we must consider the tax and regulatory implications of the mobile gaming market to ensure that this potential is realized.