Liberalization Will Drive Online Gambling

Increased liberalization of the gaming market will drive online gambling in the near future, according to a new survey - Online Gambling Trends 2010/2011 - released by the Media and Entertainment Consulting Network.

The survey, which interviewed more than 100 market insiders and operators, found that liberalization would be number one in the list of factors that would influence the industry in the next two to three years.

However, the respondents also cautioned that liberalization does not guarantee uninhibited growth, with the example of France's state-controlled betting companies showing that it is hard to compete against the big guns.

The survey also found that the experts believe strongly in the advancement of mobile innovation, with nearly half agreeing that new games and product innovation will shape the online gaming industry.

The report follows previous country-specific reports also conducted by London-based MECN, including surveys on the Swiss, Danish and French gambling markets, and the bi-monthly newsletter on recent developments in the European gambling market.