The development of the market
After seeing the worldwide online gaming market grow by 13.1% in the year 2009, the consulting firm of H2 Gambling Capital once again predicts two-digit growth rates in the coming years (status: February 2010). Whereas the offline gaming market anticipates a compound annual growth rate of only 4.1% between 2009 and 2012, over the same period the worldwide online gaming market is forecast to increase by 11.1% p.a. Europe will stand out – not least as a result of the expected legislation wave – with above-average growth rates of 14.7%. H2 consultants predict online gross gaming revenues in the amount of EUR 25.5 billion for the year 2012. This will be equivalent to a share of around 9.7% of the total forecast gaming market (offline and online), as compared to 8.1% in the year 2009. This figure could be significantly higher in the medium term due to new distribution opportunities for online gaming products, such as mobile access. The growing importance of online communities and social media platforms will also contribute to the growth of the online gaming market – a challenge which bwin is already facing up to today, moving into a leading position with new forms of distribution.
Europe is the most important market, accounting for a share of nearly 44.9% of the worldwide online gaming market in 2009, with a volume of EUR 8.3 billion. Online sports betting dominates the European online gaming market, accounting for 25.7% (2009: EUR 2.1 billion), followed by poker (2009: EUR 1.8 billion), and casino (2009: EUR 1.7 billion) at 21.7% and 20.9% respectively. A volume of nearly EUR 1.0 billion in the games sector represents a market share of about 11.5%.