Poll results: Nordic-focused firms backed for Western Europe success

Nordic-focused operators such as Unibet, Betsson and Mr Green have all the tools necessary to challenge Western Europe’s egaming elite, respondents to this week’s eGaming Review poll have said.

Having established a firm base in markets such as Sweden and Denmark, the trio are amongst a handful of firms to have branched out and targeted growth from Western European jurisdictions in a bid to reduce their reliance on native markets.

Denmark remains a hugely competitive market for online gaming firms due to the dominance of former monopoly Danske Spil while regulatory uncertainty in countries such as Norway and Sweden have prompted Nordic operators to look elsewhere for more sustainable revenue streams.

And with the Netherlands and Portugal set to re-regulate over the coming 18 months, as well as Italy and Spain continuing to regulate additional products and verticals, Western Europe presents a key opportunity for predominantly Nordic-facing operators.

And 40% of respondents considered such operators to be well prepared for European expansion with expertise gained in the Nordics likely to be transferable to Western markets. Indeed, Unibet and Betsson having already commanded market leading positions in the pre-regulated Netherlands.

However a third of readers thought success was less certain and expect such operators to struggle in the more mature markets such as the UK and Italy, with Western European heavyweights such as bet365, William Hill and Paddy Power dominating market share.

Just 27% of readers thought the Nordic giants had left it too late to mount a serious challenge for market share in Western Europe with market leaders already well established.