Emerging online casinos across Europe

When it comes to modern-day entertainment, there are far more options available to us than in the past. The digital wave has made devices such as smartphones, desktop PCs, tablets, and laptops more essential parts of our lives and the way we go about our daily routines. Advances in tech have paved the way for gaming of all forms to be performed across boundaries. Chess can be played with other players around the world, online multiplayer gaming has grown rapidly in popularity and has even helped propel Esports into the mainstream.

However, amongst all the new-age entertainment options, one option is beginning to emerge as an attractive avenue for players of all levels and all ages. That option is online casinos, and the growth of the industry and activity is reflected in the rapidly increasing revenue figures and overall market sizes published by markets around the world that have a legal, responsible, and secure framework for online casinos to operate in.

And out of all those markets across the globe, the majority of them can be found on the continent of Europe. Within this area, there are more online casinos surfacing across many countries including Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Latvia, and Lithuania. The online casino movement is only in its infancy and the popularity and following across the continent is only gathering more momentum.

Why are countries beginning to legalise online gambling?

Just in the past few years, countries across Europe have frantically tried to approve laws to create a safe, responsible, and fun environment for online casino activity. Behind the United Kingdom, which is posting revenue figures that dwarf many emerging European markets combined, Italy is the next biggest online gambling market in Europe with a market size of $4.51 billion. France ($3.83 bn) and Germany ($3.65 bn) are in close pursuit, with Sweden ($2.10 bn) a couple of positions back behind Canada ($2.55) bn.

While online casinos and online sports betting have been legal in the UK for decades, a country like Germany only passed legislation to regulate online gambling in 2021. The revenue numbers and the benefits provided by that finance is potentially the main reason countries in Europe are finally regulating online gambling. However, while claiming some of the global online gambling revenue pie is a valid motivation, preventing illegal markets emerging is just a good a reason to create a legal framework for online casinos and online sports books to thrive in.

Germany in particular has experienced difficulties monitoring and controlling the illegal market within the country, with untrustworthy platforms not only affecting the country’s economy negatively but also endangering Germans visiting those websites. These are issues common to all online casino markets but with an established legal framework, online casino industries around Europe are now able to fully thrive. And that is represented by the number of European online casinos at the Daily Star that can also be accessed from international servers, which might be of particular interest to players in the UK who are currently subject to restrictions on their game play.

Future Potential

Another significant reason for European markets to invest time and effort in creating a legal framework for online casinos is the potential they hold for the future. The industry is already thriving in its infant years in most markets and with the expected introduction of augmented (AR) and virtual (VR) reality in the upcoming years, online casino play could be taken to an entire new level. There is plenty of promise for online casino classics such as blackjack, poker, slots, and roulette and with the movement gathering strong momentum in Europe, we could see more online casinos fill the digital space.