New online gaming data published by comScore shows that US audiences are increasingly seeking cheaper gaming experiences.

The group released an overview of the US online gaming market which showed a significant increase in the size of its audience during the past year. Online gaming sites attracted 87 million US visitors in May 2009, up 22 percent year-on-year.

Yahoo! Games was the top ranked site, with 19.4 million monthly visitors, followed by EA Online with 18 million visitors and Nickelodeon Casual Games with 14.8 million visitors.

“Online gaming continues to be one of the top gaining categories over the past year, growing at ten times the rate of the total US internet population and reaching nearly one out of every two internet users,” said Edward Hunter, comScore director of gaming solutions. “And the growth in the category is occurring not only at the top gaming destination sites, but also through viral distribution platforms, including widgets and applications. In fact, some online gaming companies that distributed their games across sites are reaching as many people as the top online gaming sites.”

In contrast to online gaming’s growth, boxed game sales declined 17 percent in the US during May, according to the NPD Group.

Thanks, VentureBeat.