Currently, the online gambling market in global numbers is able to create nearly $37 billion each year. Over 80 nations have decided to offer online gambling in a legalized setting and these nations rake in billions each year when the numbers are totaled. While areas such as the United Kingdom offer multiple operators online, areas such as the United States are limited to just Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey when it comes to online gaming options.
The majority of the revenues earned from online gaming comes from Europe. The European Gaming Commission has reported that as much as $15 billion is created each year from online gambling. In Europe, gaming continues to grow at a rapid pace. Officials in European countries understand the benefits of online gaming and have worked for many years to offer the entertainment their citizen’s want but in a safe and secure manner. Any area, such as states in the US, should look to Europe as an example as to how online gaming should be offered.
The United Kingdom is the top area offering online gaming, with estimates having the UK with over 18 million accounts created for online gamblers. In the United Kingdom, there are dozens of companies that offer online gaming sites such as Bet365 and William Hill. From sports betting to bingo and casino gaming, most forms of gambling can be found in online capacities. From the early 2000s, online gaming in the realm of slot machines has increased at a massive rate, over 300% in just a few short years. Poker and table gaming were also able to increase.
Online poker in the UK is a bit different than other countries in Europe as players are not restricted to competing against players in their area. In the UK, players can hit the poker tables, facing off against players from other countries. Players can compete against anyone as long as the players are located in an area that has regulatory approval to take part in gaming.
Taking a look at this more thoroughly, in Italy and France for example, players can only compete against other players from France or Italy. This means the player pools are smaller and there is not as much option to compete at the gaming tables. The has been talk in the past about creating some type of streamlined gaming across Europe but so far, this has not taken place. If this were to happen, the EU could be even a bigger market. Players want to have options and with mobile gaming becoming so popular, players could have larger traffic numbers to compete against, which would make even more players log on to compete.
Other countries are also interested in getting involved with online gaming. It seems government officials have come to realize that there is money to be made, especially considering that players already take part, even if illegally. It will be interesting to see how 2016 fares and if any additional countries will begin to offer online gaming services or if expansions will be made in countries that currently offer some type of service.