MARKET REPORT


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CONTENTS Introduction Italy Eastern Europe Germany Austria Mexico Nordic nations Spain UK Netherlands Belgium United States Africa 2 SEPTEMBER 2011 2 3, 4 6, 7 8, 10 11, 12 14, 15 16, 17 18, 19 21, 22 23 25 26, 27 29, 30


WORLD MARKET REPORT INTRODUCTION


2011 - 2012 T


here’s not, in truth, a world market for gaming and amusements: both cultural and regulatory factors ensure that what’s a hit here can be a flop, or forbidden,


there. Instead, there’s a motley assembly of national markets, sometimes idiosyncratic, sometimes grouping naturally with their neighbours into regions sharing much the same characteristics – many of the Mediterranean countries, for example, have similar (albeit not identical) gaming landscapes. Look higher than the detail of who plays what and where, however, and it’s apparent that there are also some genuinely global issues affecting nearly every corner of the industry. One of these, of course, is the economic


downturn. Not all are feeling it equally, but very few are escaping its effects altogether, and particularly for those traditional parts of the amusements sector already in slow decline, the erosion of consumer confidence has had some harsh effects. In several territories, our features in this World Market Report reveal multiple venue closures. On a smaller but still noteworthy scale, smoking


bans are having a similar impact. The good news here is that their effects are likely to be one-off and felt quickly: once smoking has been banned in venues, governments can’t ban it some more. A third factor, of course, is the relentless rise – and legalisation – of e-gaming. This poses more of a long-term systemic challenge to the amusements and land-based gaming sectors than either recession (which never lasts forever) or smoking bans. Here, we have to contend not just the many commercial advantages of using the Internet as a platform for gambling and entertainment, but also with the increasing ubiquity of smartphones as the means of delivery; they, indeed, may prove to be the real game-changer. The question for amusements and gaming


businesses, then, is not only how to migrate online – though many must – but also how to build on the strengths of venue-based entertainment in providing a more immersive, more social experience than electronics can. And although the answers may be localised, that question at least is global.


BARNABY PAGE Editor


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