Will Slot Machines Ever Be As Popular In The UK As The US?
When you compare the US and UK slot machins markets you will see a massive discrepancy in the number of machines, the turnover and the jackpots. The UK is years behind the US and at the moment it looks as if that divide will be around for some time yet. So why is the UK so slow in catching up with the US?
While there have been rumours of US style casinos in the UK for many years, a recent change of mind by the UK government seems to have put these ideas back many years. Even though the slot machine industry is present in the UK, the market has been very stagnant for years, with the exception of allowing certain gambling establishments to increase the number of machines they were allowed to place on their premises. So what is the problem?
The UK market seems to be one which suffers more than most from the pressure of anti gambling groups which seem to be able to influence the government of the day at the highest level. Whether it is the thought of possibly losing votes by increasing the opportunities to gamble, or a genuine fear that the UK gambler is very different from their US counter-part is unknown but change in the market place is running at a snails pace.
Even the recent relaxation of advertising rules in the gambling industry has done very little for the slot machine sector, which is still tainted by the seaside penny arcade stigma of years gone by. However, in reality when you look at places such as the US the industry is enormous and jackpots can run into the millions of dollars. Will the UK market ever be able to compete with the US? Will it be given a chance to breath?
Even though online gambling has assisted the UK gambling market, the slot machine industry is still very much behind the times with little chance of this changing in the short term.
