Can you name the most developed online casino markets in Europe off the top of your head, without using Google or asking anyone for help? Come on, think about it for a second, I’ll wait. You’re probably thinking of the UK, that’s the obvious one, everyone knows it. Germany comes next, Germany’s a fairly safe choice as well, you’re doing great! But what comes next? Spain? I mean, that’s good, but it’s not <i>that</i> – for one of the biggest countries in Europe, with a population of almost 50 million people, Spain isn’t really doing so hot in the online gambling department. But what if I told you there was an unlikely star hidden somewhere? Come on, you read the title, you know exactly what’s coming – it’s Denmark, obviously! Yes, Denmark! That wee bit tiny country that “South Park” sometimes likes to make fun of for being so insignificant, with a population of a mere 5 million people (for reference, London alone has almost 9 million people in it), has one of the most active, developed online gambling markets in Europe! How come?
Well, if I’m to be perfectly honest, I can’t really give you a 100% straight answer on this one. I’m not from Denmark, I don’t really life in Denmark… I just know that in early 2016 those guys made £115 million in three months in pure profits from gambling, as reported by their gambling commission, which just completely blew my mind. I mean, geez, without taking into account the money that people won and just examining the cash they lost from gambling, on average, every single man, woman and child in Denmark spends roughly £7 a month on online gambling! It’s beyond insane! If you apply this kind of growth to a population like the UK’s, you’d probably be able to surpass its astronomical online gambling winnings too! But why is that? Why are the UK, Germany and now Denmark earning so absolutely much from an activity that other countries like, say, the US (even the states where it’s legal) largely dismiss?
Honestly, I’d say that there’s two reasons for it. First and foremost, gambling in those countries is made highly accessible. It’s not stigmatized, and you’re not required to jump through too many hoops in order to start playing slots for real money. Hell, just take a look at www.onlinecasinoer.com – a Danish online casino site very similar to the British ones that I often like to post. See how easy it is to orientate yourself there? There’s lots of choice, all of your options are outlined clearly, there’s just no reason not to go and check at least one of those sites for yourself! But at the same time, it’s not like they’re not unregulated. Gambling websites are required to pass certain checks and obtain certificates of legitimacy before gamblers are allowed to play on them, it’s not like in, say, Macedonia where online gambling is not regulated at all, and so anyone and their mother can open up an online casino regardless of their intent.
I think that, ultimately, it’s this balance between comfort and safety that actually attracts a lot of gamblers, be it in Denmark, Germany or the UK. Honestly, more countries around the world could take this example and loosen up their requirements a bit (or a lot) while still keeping the safety of their citizens as a priority. Looking straight at you, US, Russia, Japan and France!