The popularity of digital Pay2Play platforms continues growing globally. Burlywood Capital believe that over the next four years digital Pay2Play entertainment will be, by far, the fastest growing category in the global media and entertainment industry. More people see digital Pay2Play entertainment as an opportunity not just to have fun, but also to improve their games skills. Northern Europe, through high broadband and mobile penetration, continues to be at the leading edge of this rising tide.
According to the latest figures from ComScore, almost one in three Internet users from the Nordic countries, including Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, accessed sites for online gambling in April 2013. Some 4.8 million people visited gambling sites, which equals 29% of all people using the Internet.
Figures revealed that all five major sites in the gambling category recorded a robust growth over the past 12 months, comScore also said. Among the Nordic audience, Unibet Sites enjoyed the biggest popularity, with 893,000 unique visitors in April, up 179% year-on-year. The largest growth in terms of visitor numbers, however, was achieved by PokerStars, which recorded a 338% increase in visitor volume. With a total of 551,000 users, it firmly took the runners-up spot.
The third position was for William Hill, with 484,000 visitors, followed by Betsafe.com and Svenskaspel.se, which saw growth in visitor volumes of 201% and 4% respectively. Betsafe.com registered 435,000 unique visitors, while Svenskaspel.se saw the slowest change rate compared to last year, with 430,000 users in April, data showed.