French Casinos Experience Record-Breaking Year
According to Le Monde, French casinos saw escalating profits and record-breaking revenues in the 2000-01 season.
France's 170 casinos reported a gross gaming product of 1.89 billion euros, representing a 9.4 percent increase over the previous year. Clearly a favorite of the French, slot machines alone registered 1.7 billion euros in gross gaming product.
The Charbonnieres (Rhone) beat out Divonne-les-Bains (Ain) to lead the rankings for the fifth season in a row, but next season is expected to be much different, especially if the takeover bid by Accor on Europeene de Casinos is successful. The takeover would give the hotel and catering company ownership of 18 French casinos and propel it to the top of the rankings.
Canadians Display Patriotic Tendencies on the Web
A study commissioned by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority that started in November highlights the patriotic nature of Canadians when it comes to online activities as indicated by their desire to visit and shop on "dot-ca" sites over "dot-com" sites.
Seventy percent of respondents preferred to shop at dot-ca sites during the holidays. Three-quarters of the respondents attributed the dot-ca extension to Canadian companies and 90 percent think it's important to have the dot-ca domain as a resource for Canadians.
Dot-ca domain registrations have increased from 60,000 in December 2000 to 275,000 in December 2001. Maureen Cubberly, chair of CIRA's board of directors, said that the dot-ca designation "is quickly becoming the Internet domain of choice for Canadians."
Another finding of the study indicated that 96 percent of those polled believe that dot-ca registrants should have to meet at least one of 18 criteria such as Canadian citizenship and business registration in Canada to achieve certain Canadian presence requirements and use the dot-ca domain.
Confidence in Web Stays Strong
The fourth quarter of 2001 showed signs of climbing consumer confidence in the Web, according to Yahoo! and AC Nielsen's Internet Confidence Index, which was released two weeks ago.
The third quarter of 2001 saw online shoppers spending an average of $219, and that figure increased to $226 in the fourth quarter. Analysts attribute the increase in part to the increasing role of the Internet in shoppers' everyday lives.
The online travel sector is still enjoying success, according to the study, which found that almost two-thirds of online shoppers have booked travel accommodations via the Web.
The study also found higher confidence levels among males and indicated an increase in the gender gap between men and women. Those living in the northeast United States and those between the ages of 25 and 34 also demonstrated higher confidence indexes.
China to Exceed Japan in PC Sales by 2003
The South China Morning Post is predicting China will become the biggest PC market in Asia by 2003 as a result of increases in PC buying in China and declining PC purchases in Japan.
This prediction is based on information from IDC, which says that 13.2 million PCs will be bought in China next year and only 12.7 million will be bought in Japan, making China's PC market second only to the U.S. market.
Nine million PCs were sold in China last year, and the IDC expects another 10.8 million to be sold this year. Japan, on the other hand, is expected to see PC sales drop from 13.3 million last year to 11.7 million in 2002.
Local vendor Legend dominated the Chinese PC market with 31 percent of the market share over the first three quarters of 2001.
UK Corporate Sites "Woefully Inadequate"
A new study by Interactive Bureau looked at the United Kingdom's top 100 companies' corporate Web Sites and found them "woefully inadequate".
The report disclosed that 50 percent of the top companies don't list their stock prices on their Web Site or if they do, they have it buried deep within the site. Also, a third of the sites have no search facility.
Other common problems were failing to explain what the company does on the homepage (25 percent), not having an "about us" section (10 percent), slow loading of sites because of intense graphics or Flash and poor navigation.
According to IDC research, the number of Internet users in Western Europe exceeded that of the United States for the first time in December.
The research also found that Western Europe exceeded Japan in e-commerce revenue, making it second only to the United States. The IDC predicts that worldwide Internet users should reach 941.8 million by 2005, up from 497.7 million users in 2001, and that Western Europe will enjoy a 16 percent compound annual growth rate between 2000 and 2005. In comparison, the United States is only expected to see an 11 percent compound annual growth rate during the same period.