U.S. Gambling Leaders Report Bullish Outlook on Capital and Revenue Growth Despite Prediction Market Concerns

The American Gaming Association released new survey results in July 2026 that capture how member executives view the months ahead for regulated gambling operations across the United States, and the data shows clear expectations for expansion alongside notable caution about one emerging competitor.

Survey Captures Broad Expectations for Expansion

More than 60 percent of the executives who participated indicated they anticipate higher capital investment, stronger revenues, and healthier balance sheets during the coming six to twelve months, while those same respondents expressed continued optimism about the near-term trajectory of the domestic gambling sector as a whole.

The figures come from the latest edition of the Gaming Industry Outlook, which the association conducts regularly to track sentiment among operators and suppliers who belong to the organization, and the current round highlights a consistent thread of forward-looking planning even as external pressures evolve.

Capital Plans and Revenue Projections Align

Executives who expect increased capital spending described plans that range from property upgrades and technology deployments to market expansion initiatives, and those who forecast revenue gains pointed to steady player engagement trends that have persisted since earlier regulatory expansions in multiple states, while improved balance sheet health appears tied to disciplined cost management alongside those top-line gains.

Because the survey aggregates responses across different segments of the industry, the findings reflect both casino operators and sports-betting platforms that hold AGA membership, yet the majority outlook remains aligned on the expectation that operational fundamentals will strengthen rather than weaken through the first half of 2027.

Prediction Markets Register as Primary External Risk

At the same time, 81 percent of respondents characterized prediction markets as a very significant risk to regulated gaming, a level of concern that stands out against other potential headwinds mentioned in the survey, and the figure underscores how operators view these platforms as direct competitors for wagering activity that currently flows through state-licensed channels.

Executives noted that prediction markets operate with different regulatory frameworks in many jurisdictions, which creates an uneven competitive landscape, and the report records that this disparity leads many surveyed leaders to anticipate revenue leakage if those markets continue to scale without corresponding oversight or tax obligations comparable to those borne by traditional operators.

Industry Context in Mid-2026

The survey was fielded during a period when several states continued to refine their sports-betting and iGaming statutes, while prediction-market platforms expanded their product offerings around elections, entertainment events, and financial indices, and the timing places the results against a backdrop of ongoing legislative debates in additional jurisdictions that have yet to authorize regulated gambling products.

Those who track the sector observe that the 81 percent risk rating attached to prediction markets exceeds levels recorded for other factors such as macroeconomic shifts or changes in consumer preferences, which suggests the issue occupies a central place in strategic discussions among AGA members right now.

Balanced View of Growth and Competition

While the majority of executives project positive movement on investment, revenue, and balance-sheet metrics, the same group simultaneously flags the need for policy responses that address competitive imbalances created by prediction markets, and the report presents these two threads as coexisting rather than contradictory elements of current industry thinking.

Data collected for the Gaming Industry Outlook shows that respondents who expect capital increases often cite the importance of maintaining technological and operational advantages that regulated platforms already possess, yet they also emphasize that those advantages could erode if prediction markets capture a larger share of discretionary wagering dollars without parallel regulatory requirements.

Conclusion

The July 2026 findings from the American Gaming Association therefore paint a picture of measured confidence in the regulated U.S. gambling sector's near-term performance tempered by a clear consensus that prediction markets represent a material competitive challenge, and the dual themes of expected growth alongside identified risk provide a factual snapshot of how member executives currently assess both opportunities and threats in their operating environment.