Social Media in Online Gambling in 2025 – Trends, Expectations & More

Everyone interested in the online gambling industry knows it has grown massively in the last couple of years. Sports betting, online casinos, poker, and more have fans worldwide as more and more operators start offering these services. Many of them have different marketing campaigns, but almost all focus on social media in one way or another.

While on this topic, we at Nostrabet.com will share more details about social media’s role in online gambling in 2025. Since we have been in this business for many years, we have seen how certain bookies and casinos exploded in popularity because of their clever social media campaigns.

In 2025, social media platforms are more powerful than ever and they impact user acquisition and retention. That’s why it is time to dive deep into the topic and see what’s going on right now.

Social Media as a Key Marketing Channel

Social media’s main reason for being crucial for modern gambling operators in 2025 is its marketing capabilities. Companies are investing heavily in different networks, such as Facebook and Telegram, to grow their communities. This process may seem easy, but it takes a lot of time and effort, even for some of the more popular brands.

• Social media is essential for gambling operators in marketing because it allows them to be creative. Thanks to AI, they can create special targeted ads that attract new clients. Even though some social media networks often restrict these types of advertisements, companies find ways to reach potential clients.
• Another key aspect of social media and marketing is the various influencer partnerships. Nowadays, many celebrities and/or influencers promote different brands and their apps. Aside from some of the more popular names, some companies also use so-called “micro influencers”. This allows these sites to gain traction for more authentic engagement.

Due to how social media works, it’s often an excellent marketing tool for these kinds of businesses. Bookies and casinos usually promote gambling offers via TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and more. Aside from that, some brands also have quick tutorials, betting tips and even the famous “big win” reels.

Community Building and Different Social Gambling Experience

One of the reasons why social media is such a powerful tool for all businesses is that they can build communities. Companies know that people like interacting with others who are interested in the same type of things. Consequently, you can often find integration of social features in gambling apps.

• If you check some of the big iGaming companies, you can find various on-site and in-app chats. Those places allow community members to discuss various topics, help each other, share their problems, and more. Alongside these chats, brands have different leaderboards where the best-performing players can see how they are doing.
• We also have to mention the so-called “social casinos”. They are popular in some parts of the world and allow users to play with virtual currency and share their progress on social platforms. Although no cash prizes are involved, many iGaming companies offering these services earn money through in-app purchases.

Since social media is becoming even more popular, we expect to see many new features and options. For example, there might be group betting features, such as “Bet with Friends” and so on.

Live Streaming & Its Popularity

Live streaming has become one of the most popular ways to consume content online. With platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Kick, and others, people can always access their favourite live streamers. Since many of them have thousands of viewers, it’s no surprise that gambling companies decided to use this in their marketing campaigns.

• Although there are different regulations in place in 2025, you can still find many gambling content creators in the live streaming space. Some people focus on streaming different types of casino games or share sports betting tactics. Those who are transparent with their viewers let them know that this content is sponsored, but this isn’t always the case. This raises many regulatory concerns.
• Aside from marketing campaigns, live streaming is also one of the must-have sports betting features in 2025. Bookmakers integrate live streams into their platforms, allowing bettors to watch some matches in real time. This feature is mostly popular among Esports since all big events have live streams. However, some brands will also provide the feature for football, basketball, and many other sports.

The Power of UGC & Virality

As mentioned several times, many iGaming companies focus on their social media because they want to build communities. Although this takes time, we can see that some of the big brands have hundreds of thousands of followers and/or group members. Depending on social media, users can generate content and share it within the community, which could create viral trends.

User-generated content (UGC) can be extremely helpful when it comes to helping a business grow. In the iGaming industry, people often post screenshots of big wins or clever bets, and there’s a good chance that these posts can go viral. This is especially true if the person uses the correct hashtags.

Once people see that someone has succeeded with a specific betting strategy, many feel the urge to place the same type of bet. Social media definitely encourages people to do certain things, and in the case of iGaming, these actions can be risky. Promoting irresponsible gambling behaviour is definitely not a good thing, and it’s up to gambling brands to find ways to deal with this issue.

Regulatory Changes & Responsible Gambling

Although responsible gambling has always been an integral part of the iGaming industry, regulators started paying much more attention to it in the last couple of years. As a result, there have been many regulatory changes worldwide, many of which have affected the way companies use social media to advertise their services.

• There are many examples of such changes, like those in Bulgaria. The local authorities introduced structural rules on gambling ads and basically banned TV ads. In other parts of the world, companies can only run ads on social media or elsewhere during a specific time of the day. They also need to have mandatory disclaimers.
• Due to the change in regulations, many social media platforms have tightened their policies. TikTok and Instagram, for example, are much stricter in terms of gambling promotions. All big social media networks also have special algorithms that limit gambling content shown to minors.

Since most gambling brands don’t want trouble, they have also taken additional measures to ensure they meet the new standards. Some of them use AI to monitor players and their behaviour. Using that information, companies may try contacting a given player via one of the social networks with an “early intervention” message stating that, based on the player’s behaviour, there are signs of a gambling-related problem.

Data Privacy and Ethical Concerns from Users

Even though social media offers many benefits, companies are often accused of using users’ personal data in a harmful way. All gambling companies are aware of this, so it’s no surprise that they leverage social media data for targeting. This causes a lot of privacy concerns from users because most are unaware of how much data is collected.

Alongside the data collection issue, social media can also fuel addictive gambling behaviour. Things like notifications, personalised offers, and so on can often cause more harm than good. Consequently, there is an ongoing debate over the way operators pursue engagement.

Considering the current situation, we would not be surprised if local legislators imposed even more restrictions in the future.

What do we expect to Happen In the Next Couple of Years?

With how things are going, the next couple of years in iGaming will be more interesting than ever. Although no one can predict the future, there are a couple of things we expect to see:

• Increased regulation – The fact that many more people will step foot in the world of iGaming means that we expect increased regulation. Licensing authorities will do everything possible to control how brands use social media and influencer marketing.
• Additional integration of social features – Despite the potential increase in regulation, we also expect to see operators seamlessly integrate with social entertainment. 
• Growing consumer awareness – The ongoing responsible gambling campaigns and the numerous additional measures that will take place will definitely affect consumers’ awareness. More people will know about the potential issues related to gambling and how to deal with them.
• Social media will help many new platforms – We firmly believe that social media will be at the core of new decentralised platforms and crypto-based social communities. These will influence gambling trends and attract many new customers.

Closing Thoughts

No one can deny the relationship between social media and iGaming and that it will get stronger over time. Since more than 5.2B people use social media (or close to 64% of the global population), companies from all areas of business have to use social media if they want to stay relevant. That’s why we believe gambling sites will continue to rely on these networks, despite the growing restrictions and regulations.