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June 21 - H2 Gambling Capital, which regularly runs objective research on the internet gambling industry, has predicted slow growth for the market this year.
The group said that Black Friday will have a major impact on the revenues of online poker and casino sites.
Instead of the predicted growth of 10.2% that H2 Gambling Capital believed would happen before Black Friday, these numbers have now been brought down to 4.4% only.
This is the lowest increase in the online gambling market since tracking began in 1998.
The group said in a press release: "Black Friday and subsequent actions occurring in the United States decimated the scale of the internet poker industry in that market."
"At this stage we have calculated that the impact will equate to as much as €765 million of lost market value this year and a further €100 million next year."
Natural Disasters Also Impact Online Gambling
What many may not be aware of is that natural disasters also have the potential to impact online gambling. The Japanese earthquakes and tsunami, for example, also accounted for lost revenue in the industry.
"The Japanese Racing Association remains by far the largest interactive operator in the world," read the H2 statement. "Following the earthquake all aspects of their business were down and particularly mobile betting as people freed up the networks for emergency care."
However, there is some good news on the horizon. The Italian market will open up this summer, and Spain, Greece and Belgium will follow suit next year - meaning that the international market will continue to grow, and with it, revenue.
In addition, the group predicts that, despite recent developments in the US poker market, there is potential for legislation to be approved that will pave the way for a legalized and regulated online poker and gambling industry.
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