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Eastern Europe: land of gaming opportunity?
The emerging gambling markets of Eastern Europe could provide rich pickings, even during the global downturn, according to a new report published by Global Betting & Gaming Consultants (GBGC).
The report suggests that the 17 Eastern European gambling markets it examined are not yet in recession, and reveals that the gaming industry as a whole in Eastern Europe was still showing growth in 2008.
Researchers found that there is a strong propensity to gamble among many populations in Eastern Europe. Croatia, for instance, has 562 betting shops per million people, four times the UK ratio. Internet gambling is also offering increasing opportunities in Eastern Europe, with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia embracing the online gambling revolution by allowing operators other than the state lottery to hold licences. Bulgaria and Croatia are scheduled to follow suit with new legislation later in 2009.
Membership of the EU has benefited the economies and living standards of many Eastern European countries. Operators cannot afford to ignore the opportunities that exist in the region's respective gambling markets, the report concludes.
