Playing games
of chance for stakes
Gaming and betting is an old human practice which could be summarized as ‘playing games of chance for stakes’. However, the gaming industry, as a particular form of economic and commercial activity that includes casino and non-casino gambling, table games, electronic and on-line gambling, fixed-odds betting, pari-mutuel and sports betting, is a much more recent issue, being in a state of continuous development as a distinct financial and market sector.
In the last decade, the worldwide gaming industry has been subject to major changes and shifts due to correlated circumstances and conditions both at the industry, as well as at the global economic levels.
In addition, an issue of great interest mediating all aspects of the betting and gaming industry at global level is responsible gambling. Having caused heated debates at institutional, entrepreneurial, as well as at social and ethical levels, responsible gambling is crucial in maintaining online and land-based gaming within the safe limits of pure entertainment. It encapsulates all facets of the industry, as an aggregate of economic and entertaining activities. Responsible gambling, as such, will prove as the outmost accelerator of the whole industry and its huge financial impact, as well as the undoubted safeguard of a healthy and prospering gaming environment for all parties involved.