Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Research and Markets has announced the addition of The Spanish Gambling
Market - a Key Region for Future Growth to their offering. William Hill has
already started its expansion into Spain, more and more Spanish soccer teams
are sponsored by online gambling companies - these are just a few of many
clear signs that the gambling industry is starting to focus on Spain for
future growth. After the recent legal conflicts in traditional gambling
markets, a key strategic option is the expansion into less restrictive
jurisdictions or into regions where an increased liberalization might be
possible in the short term. Many operators surveyed mentioned Spain as a
particularly attractive jurisdiction for such an expansion. The following
are some reasons why Spain is perceived as so attractive: Increasing
liberalization - Many autonomous regions in Spain are working toward a
liberalization of the market, and particularly the 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 William Hill or Betbull/BWin, already have joint venture
agreements in place and are poised to take advantage of the market in Spain.
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%).
The other growth driver will be interactive gambling, which 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.