Mark Robson, head of e-business at the Isle of Man’s Department of Economic Development, reflects on a another landmark year for i-gaming and looks ahead to 2017.
AS 2016 draws to a close, and we approach the next year, we take a look at some of the key themes that drove the industry agenda this year and that will continue shaping the landscape moving forward.
CONTINUED GROWTH OF E-SPORTS E-sports is now a very well-established sector, having transformed from a niche hobby to mass-market entertainment in the past few years. Its audience continues to rival traditional sports in size and engagement. Research group IHS forecasts e-sports viewing hours will grow from just over six billion this year to almost nine billion by 2020, after growing by almost 750 per cent in the last four years.
