Quick update on the iGaming industry

Published in: Latest Intelligence  

Here are some of the highlights from the three-day conference iGaming Asia, which covered everything from social gaming to Asian operator strategies to operational issues involved in doing business in Asia:

Social

The social gambling market is forecast to be worth $7 billion by 2015 according to the Morgan Stanley Blue Paper “Social Gamblng: Click Here To Play” and of the markets most likely to grow, Asia is the most lucrative and scalable. Did you know that the city with the most number of Facebook users is Bangkok, with Jakarta being the second? Industry leaders argue that the look and feel of the game is more important than how the game is played for Asian audiences and that users like to be able to display their prowess, especially in rural towns where, with limited ways to spend their money, buying virtual items is a way to show off status. In terms of platforms, the global reach of Facebook was a focus but other national networks, such as QQ, Pengyou, and Japan's Yahoo! Mobage, could represent low-hanging fruit.

Markets

Bodog88 was upbeat about the Asian market, labelling Europe as "boring". The company believes that Asia is in terms of regulation where Europe was 10 years ago and therefore represented enormous potential. There was huge interest in Japan, India and Southeast Asia as markets with growth potential judging by attendance at the jurisdiction roundtable sessions.

Mobile

Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of talk about the importance and future of mobile. Challenges include who to develop for with so many different devices, browsers and operating systems, but with the launch of the Galaxy S4 this week, the mobile and tablet market is only going to get more interesting and competitive and it's worth investing heavily to take advantage of those opportunities. The industry suggests that up to 75 percent of mobile betting was in-play and suggested that Asian-facing operators look at table tennis and badminton as offerings, given the presence of local stars in those sports.

For more in-depth analysis of the trends in Asian interactive gaming, check in with us next week when we will have more insights for you.