It's only a matter of time until offshore, on-line gambling, comes onshore. Let's face it, simulated Casino Gambling, in the comfort of your own home, via the connection of high-speed Internet, displayed on a big screen, enhanced with surround sound, is not only the best use of the technology but must be allot more fun than watching icicles grow from the roof, in those long Northern European winters.
Here is a recent report to highlight the growth on offshore, on-line gambling in Europe.
Betting online in Europe
Gambling and sweepstakes sites are popular with French and Swedish surfers. But southern Europeans seem less likely to bet online.
According to new data from Nielsen//NetRatings, more than 14 million Europeans, or 14% of those online from home, visited a gambling and sweepstakes site in February.
Currently, gambling and sweepstake sites are most popular in northern Europe, with French and Swedish users leading the way, and southern Europe is still lagging, with less than 10% of Spanish and Italians logging on to gamble.
Gambling "is clearly an important sector for the Internet industry," says Gabrielle Prior, Nielsen//NetRatings' European Internet Analyst. "Online gambling and casino sites are also prolific online and offline advertisers. We expect to see this category continue to grow as advertising attracts consumers and the sites add more and more games and prizes."
The stakes are high. A new report from Research and Markets estimates that the total amount of money gambled around the world on poker Web sites alone will exceed $60 billion in 2005. The company touts the Continent as an area of growth: "When it comes to geographical expansion, Europe seems to be the place to go; 52% of [our] experts believe that Europe offers the greatest future potential for online poker."
As with many other types of Web activity, broadband is playing a role in the growth of online gambling. "As the broadband boom continues, we expect more people to try online gambling," says Ms. Prior.
There is a wrinkle in the data, however, she noted. While in most categories high-speed users spend the most time online, on gambling and sweepstake sites this isn't always the case. In France, Sweden and the UK, the time spent on gambling and sweepstakes sites is very similar regardless of access speed, suggesting that slower connections aren't holding back determined gamblers in those countries. By comparison, in Switzerland, Italy and Germany, high-speed Internet users are spending significantly more time than those connecting at a slower speed.
For more information on gambling online, browse the 165 records under Gambling in the eStat Database.
Source: Winning Streak
