Online Casinos Look to Balkans Markets for Growth

The Balkan countries in southeastern Europe are seen as an excellent area for online gambling sites to grow new markets.

While anxiously awaiting movement to reopen the US market, online casinos continue to look elsewhere to develop new revenue streams. The Balkan countries in southeastern Europe are seen as an excellent area for online gambling sites to grow new markets.

Containing a gaming market with revenues of almost six billion dollars, with a cultural background favoring gambling in general and sports betting specifically, the Balkan countries represent a largely untapped resource.

Countries considered Balkan include Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Slovenia. The area's population is around 130 million residents, and several of the nations are p for inclusion in the European Union, which would open free trade situations to Internet casinos.

While total dollars gambled in the region amount to more than $32 billion, generating the six billion in gross profit, Internet gambling represented only a fraction of the gaming industry, producing $672 million in revenue.Clearly, there is room for expansion.

Most online casino gambling presently occurring in the Balkans is by unlicensed foreign-operated casinos, contesting vigorously with local law enforcement in such countries at Turkey. But the trade provisions of the European Union promise to apply pressure to liberalize the laws, making the Balkans a likely spot for drastic jumps in Internet gambling numbers.