iGaming Market Tendencies

Recent years have shown that iGaming market has shown strong growth and this tendency is expected to continue its upward trend. The potential market is really huge, as over 51% of the world population engages in some form of gambling. It signifies obvious financial benefits for online gambling websites. Moreover, according to the experts in the industry, new online gamblers become more and more demanding, which conditions the necessity to offer only best quality online gambling facilities, outstanding in their quality and reliability. Moreover, new features and regular system updates introducing is crucial in the motion for market winning.

Online gambling market is composed from 3 main market players, namely:

Since 2003, the market has grown by an annual average of 23%. The games that dominate are wagering, casino and poker. Online gaming is becoming more popular and its growth is driven by factors such as Internet penetration, new markets opening due to regulation and new player groups. Since 2004, women's share of internet users in the age of 16–74 in Europe has increased by more than 80%, while the same age group for men has seen an increase of 60%. Online gaming used to attract mainly younger men. These days, it is becoming increasingly popular among women and older age groups.

It is important to highlight that the most popular forms of remote gambling today are traditional casino games, wagering and poker variations. The popularity of different kinds of internet gambling depends greatly on the gender segmentation. It is expected that Bingo games will have the largest rate of growth, because more women are getting involved in igaming and they have clear preference for bingo.

If speaking about gender segmentation, one should note that online gambling is still more popular among men. Young men are particularly prone to gambling. However, women are just as likely as men to gamble, but they choose simple gamble games, such as lotteries and slot machines. The difference can be explained by the sex-role socialization. S related betting, casino games and skills-demanding gamble games are traditionally associated with the male identity, while for women gambling usually provides relaxation rather than eustress.

New Groups of Players

Different types of players have different preferences and reasons for playing. Most people play for entertainment, some play to win money and others play for relaxation. Whatever the reason, it is vital that gaming operators and developers are attentive to the various preferences of the players. The range of ages among players is also becoming greater as Internet penetration continues to expand in our society and interest in online gaming increases. The traditional image of a player, a man aged between 25 and 35, is becoming much less predominant. According to research carried out by GP Bullhound it is expected that 43 percent of all online players in 2009 will be women. Women players used to show a preference for various kinds of bingo games but are now playing increasingly in other gaming segments. Surveys indicate that men and women have different gaming behavior. Women generally play longer but at lower stakes, while men play more frequently at higher stakes but shorter sessions. Men generally play for excitement and women for relaxation. One reason why the bingo segment is experiencing strong growth is because it offers players relaxation in a social community.

The chart below indicates the gross online gaming yield globally in 2003-2012.

It is important to highlight that the most popular forms of remote gambling today are traditional casino games, wagering and poker variations. The popularity of different kinds of internet gambling depends greatly on the gender segmentation. It is expected that Bingo games will have the largest rate of growth, because more women are getting involved in igaming and they have clear preference for bingo.

If speaking about gender segmentation, one should note that online gambling is still more popular among men. Young men are particularly prone to gambling. However, women are just as likely as men to gamble, but they choose simple gamble games, such as lotteries and slot machines. The difference can be explained by the sex-role socialization. S related betting, casino games and skills-demanding gamble games are traditionally associated with the male identity, while for women gambling usually provides relaxation rather than eustress.

The estimated figures of the market share of different forms of remote gambling can be found in the chart below

Revenues and Profitability

Revenues increased USD 94.5 million to USD 300.1 million from 205.6 million in 2008, an increase of 46.0 percent. Operating profit increased to USD120.2 million from USD 87.8 million and the operating margin was 40.1 percent compared to 42.7 percent the previous year. Revenues and operating profit for the past six years are presented in the diagram below.

Online gambling is proved to be a global phenomenon. Anyway, Europe seems to be the most quickly growing online gambling market.  In 2009 European online gambling businesses operators accounted almost 44.9% of the total online gross gaming yield.

The second largest world market of igaming industry is North America followed by Asia and Middle East. Anyway, because of the US legislation, that prohibits online gambling on the most of its territory, North America is currently experiencing a negative growth.

The chart below illustrates the global online market growth tendencies.