With more operators entering the market space and the reopening of Google adwords, there are plenty of reasons to get excited about online gambling in 2009 and beyond.

The annual report by Ernst & Young that analyzed the gaming industry said the economic downturn was bringing challenges to the sector, but that innovation in online gambling was still bringing in money.

Our own findings at Income Access have been overwhelmingly positive as well. This year alone (January-October), we have secured 28 new clients, compared to 19 new clients last year. That translates to a 47% increase and we still have more to sign up!

US consulting firm, Christiansen Capital Advisors, published an analysis of online gambling’s global scope earlier this year, which also supports Ernst & Young’s findings. Their figures indicated that our industry accounts for about $22 billion a year in global revenue, with $25 billion a year expected by 2010.

That is bright!

And it’s not as if the iGaming industry has not been thrown its share of curve balls over the last couple of years. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, combined with the recession has brought many challenges to our industry. To bounce back unscathed, indeed prospering, is something we can all be proud of. It’s something we should be proud of.

And certainly, companies have had to make changes, and now more than ever, play their marketing cards right. They are more budget conscious and carefully measure their ROI on campaigns to focus more strongly on what works, and stay away from what doesn’t.

And maybe it was time for that anyway. To be smarter marketers, that is. Perhaps, if nothing else, these curve balls, this economic struggle have taught us an important lesson: be savvy, demand more; drive your success to ensure that the future for online gaming remains, indeed, bright.