U.S. online gambling offers great prospects, new survey shows
News on 3 Apr 2013
News on 3 Apr 2013
The latest study of online gambling prospects by the respected research organisation H2 Gambling Capital shows that regulated real-money online gambling, excluding lottery and skill-based games, already generates almost $30 billion in gross win globally, with the UK and Europe accounting for 54 percent of the market.
The study, titled Opportunities for Game Developers in Regulated Real-Money Online Gambling was commissioned by Odobo, a relatively new distribution channel operating out of Gibraltar for game developers.
The study included predictions on the possibilities for online gambling in the United States, where individual state legalisation initiatives are burgeoning in the absence of any cohesive moves toward federal liberalisation by the US Congress
H2 predicts that by 2017 the United States could represent up to 30 percent of the global online gaming market, generating gross win of around $7.4 billion, and continuing to expand annually.
The survey found that developers of real-money games earn royalties of between 7 and 15 percent of the gaming revenue generated by players using their games. This royalty results in average revenues per user for the game developer of 30-40 times those resulting from social gaming.
Odobo was founded last November by CEO Ashley Lang, who invited game developers to capitalise on the high-value players in the online gambling industry via distribution through licensed casino operators worldwide.
Back then, Lang described his motive for forming the company, saying: “It’s very likely that the blockbuster game that will help take online casino gambling mainstream has not been invented yet. We thought, ‘how would any developer with that great game idea overcome all the hurdles in today’s industry?’ Something needed to change.
“Casino operators invest millions in marketing and are actively seeking new and high-quality content from a wider variety of developers to engage existing players and attract tomorrow’s new ones. We saw a big opportunity to revisit the way content is created, distributed, marketed and monetised to the benefit of all stakeholders.”
Lang said that average revenues per user in real money online gambling are 20 times higher than social and casual gaming, and tens of millions of active players are forecast to generate attractive revenues.
Odobo enables developers and operators to work together to realise the true potential of this high-growth industry. The company has devised a series of aids that include Gimp Drawing, Gnu Drawing and Game Development kits that support HTML5 game production based upon engines and random number generators certified by industry-accredited third-party testing facilities.
