The analytical platform Blask has released its latest weekly report on the week-over-week dynamics of iGaming markets based on the Blask Index. Here are the key insights highlighted by iGN:
Biggest Growth:
- 20.2% — Somalia: This marks the third time in the top 5 over the past five weeks (previously 20.4% and 20.8%). Gambling is completely banned in the country, with demand shifting to offshore operators.
- 17% — Peru: No specific reasons identified for this growth.
- 15.5% — Vietnam: The largest absolute change in the index for the week, attributed to four-day public holidays for Reunification Day on April 30 and Labor Day on May 1.
- 15.3% — Zimbabwe: No specific reasons identified.
- 15.1% — Poland: Extended holidays due to Labor Day on May 1, with the Polish Ekstraklasa league matches intensifying the title race among Lech Poznań, Górnik Zabrze, and Katowice.
Biggest Decline:
- 31.6% — Colombia: A correction following a 49.3% increase the previous week, influenced by the Constitutional Court's decision to abolish the emergency tax and lottery draws on April 25, with no replacement events during the reporting period.
- 30.7% — Cambodia: The Cambodian Gaming Committee revoked licenses from 91 land-based casinos on April 26 for organizing online fraud or hosting fraudulent centers.
- 30.2% — Netherlands: A correction following a 25% increase the previous week, with no replacement events during the reporting period.
- 25.9% — Japan: The National Police Agency has initiated cases against 317 individuals suspected of participating in online gambling, the highest since statistics began in 2018. Concurrently, an expert group from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications presented a report supporting the blocking of illegal online casino sites.
- 25.7% — Canada, Quebec: A correction following last week's peak, influenced by the 7th game of the NHL playoff series on April 26, where the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning to advance to the second round.
According to Blask analysts, several simultaneous factors have intensified pressure on the iGaming market in Cambodia. In addition to the revocation of licenses from 91 casinos, Cambodia enacted a law against online fraud on April 6, imposing penalties up to life imprisonment for operators of fraudulent schemes that result in loss of life. Concurrently, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on April 22, called for intensified efforts against illegal online gambling and online fraud.
Upcoming Champions League semifinals on May 5-6 and the title race in the Premier League (Arsenal with 73 points and three matches left, Manchester City with 70 points and four matches) are expected to boost iGaming activity in Europe. The second round of the NBA playoffs starts on May 4, while the group stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in cricket will continue until May 25, remaining a dominant catalyst for the Indian iGaming market.