Casino News

Online gambling 'taking business from live casinos'

2009-01-02 12:25:09

The internet gaming industry is taking business away from live casinos, it has been claimed.

According to Hugh Sorrill of Casino Review, several casino operators around Europe - particularly in France and Germany - believe they are losing custom to the online sector.

He stated that many of these companies would like to launch online casinos of their own but are unable to do so due to legislation.

Mr Sorrill suggested that online gaming is just one of a number of factors making it difficult for casinos at the moment.

"In the UK and across much of Europe, the combination of the economic downturn and other factors such as the smoking ban has very much affected business," he remarked.

The three big casino operators in the UK are Genting Stanley, which has 46 venues, Grosvenor Casinos (32) and Gala Group (28).

None of them has a major presence on the internet.