BtoBet: is the European market all ‘doom and gloom’?

Over the course of the last decade, a large number of European markets have embraced the possibility of a regulated gambling industry. But with increasing regulatory pressure on topics such as anti-money laundering, player protection and know-your-customer, is the European market about to experience a period of ‘doom and gloom’? 

BtoBet’s latest industry report addresses that very issue by looking at Europe’s journey to becoming the “epicentre of regulated betting and gambling activity” and the accelerated shift towards the online space. 

This focus on the digital space has been particularly evident since the pandemic, said the firm, with mobile betting being the key driver for growth in the space. 

BtoBet referenced data from VIXIO which showed that 22 online gambling markets across Europe – each of which have displayed “varying levels of maturity and year-on-year growth” – had surpassed the €100m barrier in terms of annual regulated online GGR.

The report reads: “Over the last years the European market has evolved in such a way that nowadays many European governments have introduced local licensing frameworks to regulate online gambling. 

“This has de facto brought the “dot.com” grey market activity under the direct supervision of local regulators. This shift has undeniably transformed Europe into the global focal point of locally-licensed online gambling, greatly reducing unregulated and illegal activity in the continent.

“A consequence of this shift in regulatory approach has been a steady increase in transparency and disclosure with regard to jurisdictional online market data, which is collated and reported by regulatory bodies on a quarterly or annual basis.”

In the report, BtoBet draws particular attention to nine markets: the UK, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland and Spain. 

The platform provider discusses recent regulatory developments in each of the jurisdictions and the most popular betting products as it breaks down the regulatory status of different verticals. 

You can download the full report HERE