Skills & Casual Games Worth $500 Million?
Published: Thursday, November 02, 2006 Online-Casinos.com
SKILL AND CASUAL GAMES COULD BE WORTH $500 MILLION
Irish research shows 8 million cash players are available globally
Skill games providers are pushing hard on their major advantage - legality in the USA - following the advent of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in that country, and this week there was a boost for the sector in the results of a research study carried out by Dublin-based Research and Markets.
The study: "Casual Gaming and Gambling on the Internet - Skill, Gaming, Online Bingo and Others" reports that according to many experts, casual gaming, skill gaming, online bingo and fantasy sports, will trigger the next growth spurt in the industry.
The study includes the results of a survey conducted among more than 60 industry experts who offered their unique insights and assessments. Among key findings were the following insights:
* The experts estimate the current market size for casual gaming and gambling (skill gaming and online bingo) to be about USD 500 million with more than 8 million regular players playing for cash.
* By 2010 the casual gaming and gambling market is expected to grow to ca. USD 1 billion.
* Casual gaming is an attractive product option for state lotteries and private operators
*Another reason for the growing relevance of the casual gaming sector is that regulations and laws regarding gambling are getting more and more complex and are forcing state lotteries as well as private companies to look for alternative products to their traditional gambling offerings.
* Millions of potential casual gamers and gamblers are not yet targeted by the industry
* As the market for heavy punters and gamblers becomes more and more saturated, the industry is beginning to focus on casual gamers and gamblers and especially on women.
*Growing numbers of investors - Almost every week high-caliber companies, such as media giants Liberty and Burda, as well as private equity companies, such as Apax, are investing in the casual gaming sector.
The evaluation of relevant casual gaming sites showed that the number of games offered varies widely, that customer service/support is in some cases not satisfactory, and that only very few sites offer languages other than English.
Europe will be the most important region for future growth, according to 91 percent of the experts.
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