PAF Study Reveals Diverse German I-Gaming Market

New research from Goldmedia GmbH, Berlin indicates that 25 percent of Germany's 9 million Internet users gamble online.

The study, titled "Nutzungssituation bei Glücksspielen in Deutschland" (roughly translated: "User Environments for Games of Chance in Germany"), was commissioned by PAF(the Åland Islands' Slot Machine Association) and conducted by Prof. Dr. Klaus Goldhammer, CEO of Goldmedia, Media Consulting & Research.

It is striking to read in the survey that games of chance are popular across all segment's of Germany's population. Whether student or pensioner, woman or man, small or big earner, the trend toward online gambling spans all social classes.

The findings of the study, thus, contradict the wide-spread opinion that Internet gambling is only an activity for the classically play-crazed endangered consumer--play-addicted, predominantly male (80 percent), young and with a small income--rather it represents a broad mass of people.

"The research shows clearly the fact that online gambling is not a social peripheral phenomenon but experiences a broad acceptance. it", Jan Patrick Svahnstroem, marketing chief for PAF, explained. "It will on a long-term basis give no basis for a gambling monopoly on Internet. . . . The customer wants to decide which product and which operator he prefers and when he will use it."

The research shows the gambling preferences in the individual age groups prevail. Older gamblers play primarily lotto, while an affinity for poker and sports betting exists among younger consumers.

"Younger players use more and more the whole bandwidth of the gambling palette," Svahnstroem said. "We assume that when the young players get older they still will enjoy playing poker and wage sports bets, even when they come in the 'lotto age.' The classical lotto generation will slowly become scarce."

Frequency of play varies among the different groups as well. While poker players and sports bettors are more occasional players are (64.2 and 60 percent respectively), the majority of the lotto players partake in games of chance substantially more regularly; 54.6 percent of the lotto players play regularly.

This correlates with the motivation: The entertainment value is important with among poker players and sports bettors (72 percent and 66 percent respectively), while it is only important to 46 percent of lotto players.

"From our experience, we know that poker and sports betting . . . is regarded by the younger generation as the same category as entertainment such as cinema or music," Svahnstroem said. "This seems to be confirmed by the numbers and trends of the study. This and the high portion of the occasional players prove that the majority of the players on the Internet maintain responsibility for their handling of the gambling phenomenon."

General Findings of the Study

Forty-two percent of German Internet users are interested in online gambling.
Consumers over 60 years old and woman are a little less represented.
Twenty-five percent of German Internet users participate in gambling online.
Online lotto is played by more than 50 percent of Germany's online gamblers.
Online card games are played by around on-third of Germany's online gamblers.
Online gamblers are represented in all ages and population segments.
Thirteen percent of all Germans on internet are occasional players.
Twelve percent of Germany's online players gamble online regularly.
The most common demographic for Germany's online gamblers is men between the ages of 30 and 39.
Online lotto is strongly represented among gamblers between 40 and 49 and least popular among gamblers under 30.
Online card games are most popular among players between 30 and 39.
Online betting is most popular among young men.
Estimation of entertainment value:
- card games: 72 percent
- betting: 66 percent
- lottery: 46 percent

PAF

PAF is an association under public law with the purpose of acquiring funds for the benefit of social welfare in the Åland Islands by offering gaming entertainment to the public. One hundred percent of the net profit generated by PAF is distributed to a variety of charitable organizations and causes in the Åland Islands. PAF operates under the supervision of the government of Åland. Its members are non-profit organizations and foundations in the Åland Islands that represent the societies for culture, sports and social activities.