For the best part of 10 years it looked like the online casino gaming market was one that was struggling for traction. But during the last decade something changed, as the industry finally seemed to pull together some momentum, momentum that would send online casino gaming into the stratosphere as far as popularity is concerned. Despite all the commonly discussed issues, online casino gaming would enter the mainstream at the start of the decade and by the end of 2015 was truly riding high.
Considering the quality of product being presented on online casino portals in 2015, there were calls for great optimism with regards to EU online casino gaming heading into 2016. Having successfully negated some major turbulence, there is plenty for players to look forward to as the coming months unfold.
Adapting for the Future
During 2015 the big talking point was regulation and what it would mean to for the likes of industry giants like Leo Vegas, which for the last three years have been top rated by many respected gaming portals, including Sverigescasinon.net. Showcasing true versatility in a tight market, it seems that both governing markets and operators were able to adapt to the changing landscape. Looking at the issues that presented challenges to operators in 2015, various new regularity issues were devised that operators had to address. New EU taxes were introduced with regards to digital service transactions, while the UK expanded the point of consumption tax, which worked to discourage the introduction of new online casinos on British shores. Many online casinos took this opportunity to branch out into foreign markets and have subsequently found great success as a result.
Coming Together
As the new regulations came in, it looked like it would spell doom for some smaller EU markets. However, showcasing true resilience it seems that many of these smaller nations would come together to amalgamate approaches to industry presentation. For example, economically wobbling Portugal would sign a new gambling bill that would tax new operators an increased amount of money to aid the country’s economic instability. In slightly different fashion, Italy and Romania would also revamp their tax approaches in order to boost the economy and deter illegal gambling operations. Some slightly bigger markets in the likes of France and Spain would also revamp matters in order to secure the long-term stability and validity of the industry.
New Regulated Markets
As many established EU based online casino gaming markets worked to firm up proceedings, several new nations looked to enter the fray. But for every breakthrough it seems that there was opposition in place looking to hamper industry progressed. New bills in Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands have been met with serious objection, but that certainly hasn’t deterred matters. Looking at the latter two countries in particular, both are forging ahead with plans to regulate online casino gaming. The Netherlands is supposed to pass a regulation bill for online gambling sooner rather than later, while Sweden through EU input are altering how they operate to allow for increased market competition.
Looking to the Future
2015 was a big year in the world of online casino gaming, but 2016 is set to be even bigger. Adapting to new industry rules and benchmarks, it looks like many leading markets and operators have big plans a foot for the 12 months to come. If you enjoy online casino gaming, then next year could turn out to be something truly special.