Times may be tough but gambling revenues continue to grow

Revenues from casinos and online gaming activities rose by 0.6 percent in the UK last year, according to a new study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). And the business consultancy predicts that global revenues in the casino and online gaming industry will grow by 9.2 percent a year until 2015, rising from $117.6 billion (GBP 75.4 billion) in 2010 to $182.8 billion in 2015.

Reporting on the study, The Independent newspaper says that the main growth will be in Asia, with Macau the “jewel in the crown”, according to the PwC research.

The online gaming industry continued to evolve, making the UK the largest legal online gaming market, the report notes.

David Trunkfield, the lead gaming partner at PwC, warned that the [economic] pressures on UK consumers would lead to casino revenues falling in 2011, before showing a slight advance next year. The casino market in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) was the hardest hit of all, falling by 12 percent in 2009 and a further 7.2 percent in 2010.

“Weak economic conditions and the impact of adverse regulatory developments in some countries will curtail growth,” Trunkfield said.

He predicted that revenues in the EMEA market would hit $18.3 billion in 2015, up from $16.3 billion in 2010.