Top three markets where leadership shifted in 2025

Market leaders in iGaming rarely lose their positions. When they do, regulators are often involved.

Leaders in iGaming typically hold their ground. Smaller operators struggle to break through, and top rankings remain stable year after year. Blask data shows that several markets bucked this pattern in 2025.

The biggest of such countries are the Philippines, Poland and El Salvador. All three new leaders there won Blask Awards, the first iGaming awards judged by data rather than industry votes.

Philippines

The Philippines saw a major market realignment. Unlicensed operators’ share collapsed from 68% at the end of 2024 to 22% by the end of 2025, as regulatory pressure redirected users toward authorised platforms. PAGCOR, the industry regulator, launched a verification tool in June, allowing users to check whether operators held valid licences.

PlayTime captured the largest share of the shift. Its brand accumulated power (BAP) — a percentage showing how much consumer interest each brand holds — rose from 4% in December 2024 to 30.4% a year later. The operator announced a partnership with the Miss Universe Organization in October, raising mainstream visibility. PlayTime also won Operator of the Year for the Philippines and Operator of the Year for Asia at Blask Awards.

Poland

Poland’s shift played out within tighter structural constraints. Online casino remains a state monopoly, with Totalizator Sportowy operating the country’s only legal platform through Total Casino.

Institutional oversight strengthened in late 2024 when Poland’s finance ministry created a dedicated gambling regulation department. Enforcement relies partly on domain blocking to restrict access to unlicensed operators.

Total Casino’s BAP climbed from 14.8% in December 2024 to 24.8% by December 2025. The brand’s success culminated in winning two Blask Awards: Operator of the Year and CEB Leader in Poland.

El Salvador

El Salvador saw the sharpest consolidation. GanaPlay’s BAP nearly doubled, making it the dominant operator by year-end.

The brand is one of only two operators affiliated with the National Lottery. It sponsors three of El Salvador’s most successful football clubs — Alianza FC (18-time champions), CD Águila (17-time champions), and CD FAS (19-time champions). GanaPlay has pursued this sponsorship strategy since 2022.

And yet another Blask Awards winner — GanaPlay won Operator of the Year and CEB Leader in El Salvador.

Data-driven recognition

Leadership shifts remain uncommon in iGaming, but Blask data captures them. The awards followed the pattern: operators that proved their market dominance through verified metrics earned recognition on that basis.