Calvin Ayre Predictions for 2012

Calvin Ayre, the infamous entrepreneur behind the Bodog Brand, has come out with online gambling predictions for the year 2012.  Ayre provided predictions about gambling in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and new gaming platforms.

Regarding legalization and regulation of USA online casinos, Ayre remains skeptical.  Though he’s skeptical on the national level, on the state level he does see progress, especially in Nevada, and says that he sees individual states going either way.  He added that the companies best suited to take advantage of the U.S. situation are already licensed operators and companies with great technology. 

Regarding Europe, Ayre expressed his concern about the fragmentation of the market.  He described a scenario where each market is fighting for a legislated local monopoly.  This is bad for the European market as a whole, and taking into account the shaky economic situation, Europe 2012 forecast is grim. 

Asia, on the other hand, is a young, quickly growing market.  He believes that the Asian market will overtake the entire world market in size, though he warns that, considering China’s history of business dealings, some companies may find themselves locked out of the local market entirely.  India is also a potential multi-billion dollar market that has yet to be properly tapped.

The Latin America market, though much smaller than the Asian market, nonetheless presents a lot of potential because it is barely touched; the full potential of the market is far from being reached.

Ayre claims that the companies most likely to succeed are those who best take advantage of new technologies such as mobile casinos, casino apps, social networks, twitter, and the like.  He adds that the live-dealer platform should be expanded beyond traditional table games and holds great potential for attracting players.