A new eMarketer report estimates that this year worldwide revenues for online gambling companies will top $10 billion, suggesting that well over $200 billion have been bet at online bookmakers, casinos and poker rooms.
Ben Macklin, Senior Analyst at eMarketer and author of the report, said the growth has been fuelled by the diffusion of broadband connectivity and by extensive television coverage of poker.
Data from Nielsen/NetRatings indicates that nearly 20 million US internet users visited gambling websites in February 2005, equating to nearly 15% of all US internet users.
In Europe, 14 million internet users visited gambling sites, with Germany recording the largest number of users, while France and Sweden top the list for the percentage of internet users.
More recent data from comScore Media Metrix shows that 30 million US internet users visited gambling sites in July 2005 (18% of all Internet users).
This is double the number who visited gambling sites in December 2001.
“After phenomenal growth during 2003 and 2004, particularly from online poker, the online gambling sector is slowing, but that does not signal the demise of the sector,” said Macklin.
“Poker has received all the headlines over the last few years, but the online gambling sector is much more than just poker.It consists of online sports betting, online betting exchanges, online wagering on horse races, online casinos, online lotteries, online bingo, online skill games played for cash and more.”
“For as long as there is gambling, there will be online gambling, and whether it is legal or not is irrelevant.”
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