European gambling revenue rose 5% in 2024
The EGBA has reported that revenue reached €123.4bn.
Belgium.- The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has reported that gross gambling revenue (GGR) in Europe reached €123.4bn in 2024. That’s a rise of 5 per cent year-on-year.
The online gambling trade body’s latest report, European Gambling Market – Key Figures 2025 Edition, provides provisional figures from H2 Gambling Capital covering all European Union member states plus the UK. It includes aggregated data and forecasts for Europe’s gambling market, online gambling products and information about different national gambling markets.
Europe-wide online gross gambling revenue was estimated to have risen by 11.7 per cent to €47.9bn in 2024 while land-based gambling revenue rose by 1.3 per cent to €75.5bn. That means that online gambling represented 39 per cent of total GGR. Online casino slots generated an estimated €23.2bn while online betting revenue reached €16.2bn, with €13.7bn of that coming from sports and events betting. Online lottery accounted for €7.1bn in GGR.
In terms of the devices used for online gambling, it’s estimated that 58 per cent of online GGR came via mobile use and 42 per cent from desktop.
Despite the rise of online gambling, land-based gambling represented an estimated 61 per cent of all GGR in Europe last year. Lottery remained the biggest single vertical, generating €30.9bn – 41 per cent of all land-based revenue. Gaming machines were the second-biggest revenue generator, contributing €24.9bn, a third of all land-based GGR.
Betting generated €9.6bn: €6.4bn from sports and events betting and €3.2bn from horse racing. Casinos generated €8.5bn (11 per cent of land-based GGR) and bingo brought in €1.6bn.
The EGBA noted the difference in the size of verticals in online gambling compared to land-based gambling. Lottery remains the clear leader in land-based gambling but ranked third online. For casino gaming, the case was the opposite: it was easily the most popular form of online gambling but third when it comes to land-based gambling. Sport and events betting was also more popular online, but betting on horses is still more popular at physical locations. Bingo was even across online and land-based.
Regional differences
The report also highlights substantial differences across the gambling markets in European countries. Online gambling penetration varies dramatically, from as high as 68.3 per cent of gambling revenue in Sweden and 68.1 per cent in Finland and Denmark, to as low as 14.2 per cent in Spain.
The UK remains Europe’s largest gambling market with revenue of €30.8bn, followed by Italy at €25.5bn, France at €17.8bn and Germany at €17.7bn. The EGBA said product usage across countries remained “heavily influenced by local regulatory frameworks and player preferences”.
Forecast for European gambling
Looking ahead, the report forecasts that Europe’s gambling market will grow to €127.7bn this year. That would be a 3.5 per cent increase from 2024, so lower than the 5 per cent rise seen last year. Online gambling is expected to reach a market share of 40 per cent this year, with revenue projected at €51.1bn, while land-based gambling is forecast to grow more modestly to €76.6bn.
In the longer term, the market as a whole is projected to reach €149.2bn in GGR by 2029. Online gambling is expected to grow at 6.9 per cent annually to reach €66.8bn, while the land-based sector is forecast to grow at 1.8 per cent annually to reach €82.4bn.
Maarten Haijer, secretary general of the EGBA, said: “Europe’s gambling market showed steady growth in 2024. While land-based gambling remains dominant and continues to grow in absolute terms, online channels are showing stronger momentum, driven by changing consumer preferences and technological advancement. Looking ahead to 2025, we expect online gambling to cross the significant 40 per cent market share milestone, with this trend projected to continue in the coming years as online gambling is expected to approach parity with land-based gambling by 2029.”
EGBA response to EU Court of Justice statement on gambling law
This week, the EGBA welcomed a statement by the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) on international gambling law. The court has clarified that EU members should submit all proposed changes in technical regulations for gambling services, including marketing and gambling encouragement, to the European Commission (EC).
The court said that the notification of changes should be submitted through the Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) procedure. It warned that failure to comply would make new gambling regulations unenforceable against providers, which could lead to confusion for gambling regulators, operators and customers.
The statement follows a legal dispute between the Lithuanian gambling regulator and Unigames. The regulator fined Unigames €12,700 in 2022 for allegedly displaying messages that encourage gambling, in breach of Lithuania’s strict rules against gambling adverts. However, Unigames appealed against the decision, arguing that correct procedure was not followed for the implementation of the rules. The CJEU has adopted a “No Opinion” decision on the case.
