As we reported, the major European online gambling licensors and regulators such as the Italian AAMS, the French ARJEL, and the Spanish DGOJ all acknowlegded thath creating the segregated online poker market was a mistake. They hoped the decision would bring a major income to the state, but the numbers fell short of the expectations right from the beginning and are still declining.
AAMS published the revenues of the first quarter of the year and they show a significant decline. The figures show that online cash poker in Italy fell dropped 34.6 %, resulting in a total revenue of €43.1 million in the first 3 months of the year. Online tournament poker, on the other hand, had a total revenue of €28.7 million, a 36.4 % drop from the same period last year.
AAMS blames the "general decline of spending on games in Italy" for the unfavorable figures.
Naturally, the popularity of poker fell right after the Black Friday and is still on the decline, but it does not explain such a major drop in traffic. The second part of the argument is also questionable, as the casino revenues show a 84,7% rise compared to the same period last year.
It is much more likely that the numbers show the dysfunction of the segregated markets. In January, ARJEL's CEO Jean-Francois Vilotte acknowledged that the 2012 revenues fell short of expectations and voiced the need for a unified market with the regulated markets in Europe, if the online gambling laws are in agreement with the French laws.
The Italian, French and Spanish regulators started negotiations last year for a unified regulated market, but there is no further information when that can become a reality.
AAMS published the revenues of the first quarter of the year and they show a significant decline. The figures show that online cash poker in Italy fell dropped 34.6 %, resulting in a total revenue of €43.1 million in the first 3 months of the year. Online tournament poker, on the other hand, had a total revenue of €28.7 million, a 36.4 % drop from the same period last year.
AAMS blames the "general decline of spending on games in Italy" for the unfavorable figures.
Naturally, the popularity of poker fell right after the Black Friday and is still on the decline, but it does not explain such a major drop in traffic. The second part of the argument is also questionable, as the casino revenues show a 84,7% rise compared to the same period last year.
It is much more likely that the numbers show the dysfunction of the segregated markets. In January, ARJEL's CEO Jean-Francois Vilotte acknowledged that the 2012 revenues fell short of expectations and voiced the need for a unified market with the regulated markets in Europe, if the online gambling laws are in agreement with the French laws.
The Italian, French and Spanish regulators started negotiations last year for a unified regulated market, but there is no further information when that can become a reality.
