Online gambling research is currently a rather active field as it’s the fastest growing form of gambling in the world according to the National Center for Responsible Gaming, and while its legalization is moving at a tortoise pace in the United States, a new study suggests its expansion on the global scale will mimic more closely that of the hare.
Juniper Research, a UK-based market analysis and research firm, says in its study titled “Mobile and Online Gambling: Casinos, Lotteries & Betting 2015-2020” that one in 10 adults worldwide will participate in some form of online wagering by 2019.
Considering the world’s population is presently 7.3 billion, that means 730 million people will place a bet through the Internet, a rather shocking assessment.
In a press release Juniper says “this will be the result of migration from traditional lottery purchases to mobile channels,” and that “growth will also be fueled by increasing liberalization of online markets across Europe and the US, driving usage of casino and sportsbook services.”
1 in 10 Over/Under
Being a gambling-forward website, perhaps many readers would be interested in taking the under in Juniper’s four-year estimate.
The World Bank states that less than 50 percent of Chinese citizens, the world’s most populated country and home to 18 percent of Earth’s humans, use the Internet.
India, responsible for 17 percent of the global population, has just 18 Internet users per 100 residents.
Together India and China account for 2.5 billion people, and with such low online usage rates, it’s hard to imagine Juniper’s research being proven true.
Per its report, that will be combatted by excessively high iGaming participation surpassing 50 percent in the United Kingdom, Italy, and eventually, the United States.
Taking The Over
Before you go scrambling to find the rogue bookie willing take a bet on Juniper’s one in 10 claim, remember that history repeats itself and online habits have made this wild jump once before.
Take online shopping: In 2000, Americans spent just over $27 billion in retail purchases through the Internet.
Remember the days when so many fretted the concept? In 2015, more than $319 billion will be spent on purchases online, and that is expected to increase to $370 billion by 2017.
Perhaps the leading factor is one’s comfort in participating. Should states around the country continue to take steps to legalize iGaming, it’s likely that more and more consumers would enter the market.
That’s not to say that more than 50 percent would, but according to the American Gaming Association, a trade group representing the industry, 32 percent of the US population aged 21 and over gambled at a casino in 2012.
The question is, “Would that demographic also make the transmission to online betting?”
With some form of gambling legal in all 49 states except Hawaii, whether it be a lottery, tribal casino, commercial venue, or horse track betting, expanding online gaming and making the industry that more convenient is without question capable of drastically increasing participation.
“Gambling is a pastime for millions around the world,” Juniper said. “In today’s market there is an ever-growing trend towards the proliferation of gambling activities through mobile and online channels.”
