Ever since the US lawmakers banned the Internet casinos in the country with a view to ban games that relied more on ‘chance’ than ‘skills’ and encouraged random gambling among the people, rumor has it that Europe will soon emerge as the new destination for online gaming. There is also speculation that, with its fast growing economies, Asia also could turn out to be a flourishing market for the multitude of online gaming companies who have left the US shores recently.
A cursory glance at the present status at the online gaming industry in the US will reveal that while a large number of Internet casino companies have downed their shutters in the wake of the recent ban against online gambling there, some others like Superior Poker has already publicized its plans to launch new casino websites and also accept American players. This means that the ban has not been able to disarm all the online casino players from quitting business from the US and in the absence of competition, these online gaming companies now have brighter prospects of increasing their revenues. On the other hand, even the companies which have quit the American shores following the ban and trying to set up bases in the United Kingdom or neighboring West Indies still have their eyes on the US players.
Talking about Europe becoming the hub of the online casinos, it is pertinent to say that cultures and economies of only three nations – the United Kingdom, Germany and France – on the continent fit the bill for the online gaming industry. But then, opposition to online gambling in Germany and France is so intense that US gaming companies trying to set foot on these soil may find them out of business even before they start off. While Germany has already banned online gaming in some of its provinces, France is too keen to toe the US line in this regard. And as far as the United Kingdom is concerned, although nearly six million people log on to the gaming websites here, competition from the home-grown online casinos is too stiff to overcome.
Looking at Asia, Japan is probably the only nation where the online gaming companies can expect to set their foot on. However, if the population and Oriental culture of the country is taken into account, this is too small a market to accommodate and feed the online gaming companies who have left the US. China and India may be among the fastest growing economies in the world with rapidly increasing Internet users, but they have no place for the online gaming business.
All these only prove that although the recent ban has hit the online gaming industry in the US, players there still continue to be the largest market for the casino companies. Europe and Asia offer no solution whatsoever for their survival. Even though many of the online gaming industries may be compelled to shift their physical base, they will continue to rely on the US players. All that they require to do now is evolve novel methods to enable monetary transactions with their loyal customers to evade the ban.
