The reason we don’t recommend anyone to start a new non GamStop casino these days is because the competition is fierce.
There are hundreds of different online casinos. But the problem remains that players today are bombarded with game advertising and various marketing activities daily.
It is difficult to get your message across and create interest.
It is therefore difficult to bring in players at an acceptable price as the competition is tough.
It is also difficult to keep the players on their side as most have gambling accounts at many different casinos.
You need to do all the steps very well to have a chance to succeed.
Around 2009-2010, you could start up a new non-GamStop casino, do some TV advertising and everything rolled on automatically after that.
It was hard to fail in those days when everything was new and there were few competitors but those times are over.
It’s a huge difference if your TV commercial competes for attention with 5 other casinos in a year compared to 60 different casinos.
Having said that, it is of course not impossible to start a new non-GamStop casino that will be successful.
It’s just a lot harder today than it was just a few years ago.
Which Markets Can You Focus on?
As I said, a lot happens in gaming and the online casino industry, and things can change quickly.
Some markets that are very interesting one day may look completely different a couple of years later.
Let’s take a quick look at the most popular markets and give our feedback on them.
The UK
We start with the market we know best.
The UK is another giant market, but here too you are competing for players’ attention with well-known British betting companies such as Bet365, Ladbrokes, William Hill, Betfair, and non-GamStop casinos.
A very tough market where the competition is sharp and the margins are smaller as the tax is relatively high at over 20%.
You need to go through a rather tough game license application process and adhere to very strict rules.
You also need to employ a bunch of different employees who are responsible for everything being done correctly and that all the rules that are set in the British market are followed.
Avoid at first unless you are specifically developing a betting site that you think will work better in the UK market than elsewhere.
Finland
This is a market that has been interesting for gambling companies, especially in the last 10 years when non-GamStop casinos have grown in popularity.
Until recently, it has been possible to accept players from Finland with a gambling license from, for example, Malta or Curacao, as the internet market for online gambling has been seen as a “grey market” by gambling companies.
Offshore gambling companies have not been able to apply for a Finnish license as Finland still has a monopoly system that can be compared to the former British gambling monopoly, which has now been abolished.
This means that you paid less tax and that your margins as a gaming operator have thus been good.
Casino games are popular in Finland and you can find casino machines from the state gaming company at most gas stations and grocery stores.
Competition among gaming companies has always been tough in the Finnish market, but it has now increased further after many gaming companies changed their focus from the British to the Finnish market.
As we know, the Finnish language is not entirely easy to handle, so if you are to have a chance of being able to run a successful gaming company in the Finnish market, you must have employees who know this market and the Finnish language inside and out.
But now in 2023, we have received reports that the Finnish market will also be reregulated.
Hopefully, the Finnish government will learn from the mistakes that Sweden, Germany, and the Nerd countries have made in recent years and create a better gambling market for the Finnish players.
In the past, we have seen Finland as a good market to invest in, but as we expect a re-regulation that will come into effect on January 1, 2026, we want to wait and see how everything develops.
Norway
This is another market that has been very interesting for gaming companies over the years.
Many Norwegians like non GamStop games and the average sums that are played for are greater than, for example, the average in the British market.
However, the Norwegian market is going through changes right now as the Norwegian state puts pressure on both payment providers and TV companies that previously allowed gambling advertising on their Norwegian TV channels.
Since the so-called player value is recognized as high in the Norwegian players, the prices per player through marketing partners that focus on the Norwegian market have also increased significantly.
We are following developments in Norway, but at the moment we would recommend that you refrain from investing in the Norwegian market right now.
Germany
A very large market with 83 million potential players.
However, the competition is fierce and you are competing against several well-known German niche betting companies if you choose to make a bet here.
You pay a higher profit tax and a large part of the revenue goes to payment providers such as Sofort.
Ideally, you also get access to PayPal, which is a popular payment method in the German market.
However, Germany has introduced strict deposit and wagering limits that have pushed players to play at illegal casinos without a valid German license.
All in all, great potential here but you either need to have a Germany-oriented product or a very large wallet to have a chance to succeed.
Ideally, you have both in place if you want to bet here.