It’s safe to say that iGaming has exploded in the last few years around the world. Players are no longer confined to just their desktops and laptops, with the mobile casino concept really taking off and continuing to take the market by storm.
While there are the odd countries who continue to dig their heels, many new iGaming industries are on course to make a splash if their policies and outlook are amended slightly. Let’s take a look at some emerging online casino markets.
Latin America
One of the areas in the world which has seen rapid growth in online gaming is Latin America.
Large country populations such as Brazil and Argentina are beginning to logon and play (despite rising political issues), and it’s mainly down to mobile devices that this is possible.
Smartphones and other internet-enabled devices are being purchased and used at such a pace in Latin America that it is the mobile casino market that’s really driving the entire iGaming industry in these regions.
Eastern Europe
Europe as a whole has seen iGaming explode since broadband speeds were rolled out and licenses given to casinos. However, gambling preferences and tendencies differ fairly dramatically by region, with some Eastern European places being especially attractive to investors.
Countries such as Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Slovenia have all decided to open their doors to the online gaming revolution, and their governments are reaping the rewards with tax and economic gains.
Others are less willing or active in bringing proper legislation to the table, but the success of their neighbours will hopefully spur them into action.
Japan
Finally, one of the most exciting pieces of news broke late in 2016 - Japan was setting forth legislation to legalise casinos! The Asian market is substantial for the gambling world, with hubs such as Macau thriving in recent years, so casinos in Tokyo, Osaka and other major cities are likely to bring huge revenues to the country.
While online gambling in Japan is hazy, there are plenty of foreign online casinos which accept Japanese yen as a currency.
Whether or not Japan will decide to legalise more betting areas online with this gambling bill remains to be seen - but it’s a huge step in the right direction as far as we’re concerned!