The world’s first truly digital-native generation, born between 1997 and 2012, is driving gambling industry innovation in their pursuit of fast wealth via gambling.
Generation Z’s get rich quick mindset was revealed in Northwestern Mutual’s 2026 Planning & Progress Study.
The report cited a poll that revealed that 80% of Zoomers believe prediction markets, sports betting, and cryptocurrencies “offer a faster path to their goals than traditional methods.”
The report states that 32% of Gen Z are either considering or have already taken financial risks on these sites.
shines light on the generation with an appetite for gambling
Conducted by The Harris Poll with 4,375 US adults in January 2026, the Northwestern Mutual study shines light on the generation with an appetite for gambling that is driving change in the US iGaming industry.
Money is flowing into the US online gambling market, with Blask estimating that the vertical hit $79.8bn in 2025 to make it by far the world’s largest by Competitive Earning Baseline.
With Zoomers between the ages of 18 and 29 opting to take the fast-track to riches, their impact can be seen in the 2025 US spend of $12.9m on live dealer online casino, $11.9m on fantasy sports, and $9.3m on online casino.
Despite the low-hanging fruit, many gambling giants are looking at the longer term picture by investing in gaming innovation. On Wednesday, casino game provider Hacksaw Gaming launched a new iGaming “investment and acceleration” arm designed to support early-stage online gambling companies and push the boundaries of gaming by empowering “the next generation of gaming innovators.”
