By John Davis.
The United Kingdom offers a fine array of online casinos to compliment the land-based establishments that are located up and down the country. The UK market, along with the likes of the U.S and Australia is one of the strongest, most profitable online casino markets in the world. However, despite posting more than impressive figures, UK players are starting to explore other non-UK avenues for their online casino fix.
Elsewhere around Europe, there are a vast number of online casino markets with varying levels of experience within the industry. Some experienced heads have become sturdy pillars even when ranked against other markets around the world, while others are slowly making their way in the industry.
And for UK players, the idea of more, unexplored options on the continent is becoming more appealing, especially against the backdrop of playing restrictions imposed by the UK Gambling Commission and Gamstop. Non-Gamstop and European online casinos are becoming a trend in themselves and more UK-based players are finding themselves at EU casinos at dailystar-uk.co.uk as a result of spending limits and irreversible self-exclusion on Gamstop. Here are two popular European markets to explore for more choice and variety.
Malta
Perhaps surprisingly, the little island of Malta is one of the online casino giants. With a population of just over 500,000, Malta quickly gained a reputation for being one of the most trustworthy jurisdictions for online casino play in the world due to the fact it was one of the first markets to venture into the industry. In 2004, when the era of Web 2.0 started, the Maltese government passed the Remote Gambling Regulations, which permitted online gambling.
Since then, numerous online casino providers base their operations out of Malta in the knowledge that they own a reputable and fair license. And with a market revenue for online gambling activity of $132.90 million forecasted for this year, equating to roughly 12% of the annual GDP, Malta makes a tidy earning from those looking to play on online casino platforms stamped by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).
Germany
From one of the most experienced online casino jurisdictions, we make a journey to Germany, which is only now beginning to welcome the industry onto its borders and with that, new customers from within and outside of Germany. With an expected revenue of $5.65 billion for 2024, Germany is making quick progress, considering online gambling only became legal in 2021. Since then, online casino play has exploded. It is reported that 14.31% of the German population engage in sports betting each month, which is not surprising for a country that loves its sports.
A bright future for EU online casinos
Malta and Germany are only two examples of strong European online casino markets. More is expected in the coming years from France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain, giving UK-based players a whole platter of choices for online casino action. If, as is expected, each market continues to thrive and grow, and more funding is invested into providers and games, it might not be long before these countries catch the UK up.
IMAGE CREDIT: thecaravelgu.com