Aie Caramba!!- 2005-09-21

Experts foresee 2006 as the year when Asia emerges as the fastest growing online and offline gambling market. Regardless of such prominent estimates, many observers still recognize other smaller and less apparent regions, with potential for growth and success. As all eyes turn to the east to get a piece of the pie, some look less far.

In Europe, with the North (UK & Scandinavian countries) maturing at a faster rate than its southern counterpart, a location such as Spain comes across as an attractive launching ground for online gambling operators. Regulated by a more lax legislation when matched with other EU countries, Spain benefits from a wide array of stimulating factors with regards to e-gaming business ventures.

A strong betting culture and gambling tradition, notably in the form of sports betting and weekly soccer pools make Spaniard spend an estimate of US$27.9bn each year. This figure, encompassing state operated lotteries as well as recognized online and offline transactions does not account for illegal gambling outlets, which are also said to generate close to this sum when included.

With an approximate 10% of internet users having visited a gambling site compared with 14% on average in the rest of Europe, Spain falls short of its neighboring countries in this statistic. However, a growing internet population of 15.6 million, and a propensity to develop telecommunication rapidly, make the Spaniards' attitude towards betting and wagering quite encouraging.

The challenge now at stake, which several companies have already undergone, is to determine the best way to efficiently penetrate this original market. Some of the most popular tactics remain major event sponsoring and venues, notably ones associated with sports and entertainment. As other patiently await the Poker fever to catch on this region, the Iberian Peninsula is proof that opportunities do persist in this fast pace industry.

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