Poker & Gambling Target Spain for Expansion

London-based Media & Entertainment Consulting Network (MECN) did a recent survey of operators of online poker and gambling sites as well as operators of physical casinos and found many of them mentioned Spain as a particularly attractive place to expand.

Martin Oelbermann, co-author of the study, relayed, "In nearly all of our surveys and interviews the operators mentioned Spain as a particularly attractive jurisdiction for future expansion."

MECN's resulting report, "The Spanish Gambling Market - Key region for future growth" highlights reasons that Spain is set for imminent growth.

Gambling operators are eagerly searching for new markets following the collapse of online enterprises resulting from the signing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), which was signed into law on October 13, 2006 in the USA.

Because the UIGEA makes it illegal for banks to handle betting transactions to online gambling sites from US residents, gambling operators are seeking to expand into less restrictive jurisdictions or into regions where an increased liberalization might be possible in the short term, to make up for the loss of the USA market.

Here's what MECN' report says about why Spain is so attractive:

- - Increasing liberalization:

Many autonomous regions in Spain are working toward liberalization of the market. The physical betting sector as well as interactive gambling could benefit from that.

- - William Hill and other big players are already poised for expansion into Spain:

Many international companies, such as Ladbrokes, William Hill or Betbull/BWin, already have joint venture agreements in place, so are poised to take advantage of the market in Spain. Example- More and more Spanish soccer teams are being sponsored by online gambling companies.

- - Growth potential, especially for retail betting and interactive gambling:

Overall Spain's gambling market is expected to grow to Euro 39 billion by 2010.

By 2010 the retail betting market is expected to grow to ca. Euro 4.5 billion, which is more than 750% larger than its current size (CAGR of 71%).

Interactive gambling is the other growth factor. It is expected to reach ca. Euro 4.2 billion by 2010, a growth of ca. 240% (CAGR of 36%) over the current level.

-- Lotto craziness:

Spain's lottery market is one of the largest in the world and can boast impressive per-capita sales. It indicates how much Spainairds like to gamble.

A summary of MECN's report is at: http://mecn.net/Spanish_Gambling_Market_Report-Summary.pdf

To obtain the full report, visit: http://www.spain-gambling.mecn.net.

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