About European Markets

When the US government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006, the online gambling market was dealt a serious blow. Companies had to relocate and the US lost a huge source of revenue. However, what was a blow to America was a boon to Europe. The European market for online gambling has exploded in recent years, turning the European Union into a haven for online casinos.

Legal Support

While several nations in the European Union do place some restrictions on certain facets of online gambling, they are largely permissible and even supportive of the industry. Some countries have gone out of their way to make themselves attractive to startup and established online casinos. Governments have made it easy for companies to operate legally, and they have been rewarded with huge bumps in tax revenue.

Welcome Audience

European citizens are also incredibly open to the offerings of online casinos. Gamblers in France and Germany have petitioned their governments to introduce incentives to bring more casinos into their nation's borders. As such, many online casinos have been willing to make special concessions to French and German players, allowing them easy access to their websites and facilitating seamless transfers between their banks and casino accounts. The popularity of online gambling has even encouraged some to speculate on building a French or German version of Las Vegas.

While the overall market for internet gambling shrank immediately following the passage of the UIGEA, it has since rebounded and expanded with the encouragement of the nations of the European Union.