France’s online gambling market grows in 1Q19
The online gambling segment in France experienced an increase in revenues, helped by sports betting.
France.- France’s gaming regulator, L’Autorité de régulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL), has reported that the online gambling market posted a significant increase during the first three-month period of 2019.
Online gambling revenue for the first quarter totalled €357 million, which is approximately €70 million higher when compared to the €281 million registered during the same period last year, ARJEL said.
Furthermore, ARJEL revealed that the year-on-year growth was driven by a 52% increase in revenue within the sports betting sector. It posted €222 million in revenue, significantly up from the €147 million registered in the first quarter of 2018. These figures represent the highest revenue in a quarter since the country launched the sports betting market.
Once again, football was the most popular sport in France, as punters wagered €716.8 million, or an increase of 54% when compared to the €464.9 million in 2018. The local league attracted the biggest number of bets, while it the English Premier League and the Champions League closely follow.
Tennis followed football and reported a 53% increase year-on-year to €250 million. This was headed by a 138% increase in bets on the Australian Open. Moreover, basketball also reported an increase of 42% to €177 million.
Horse racing reported a modest 3% increase to €67 million in the first three-month period of the year. The figure is approximately €2 million higher than the €65 million reported in 2018. ARJEL reports horse racing revenue separately from the sports betting segment.
Online poker suffers a setback
The online poker segment registered a 1% decrease in revenues from €69 million in 2018 to €68 million in 2019. This was the first decline in a quarter that the online poker segment suffered in two years. ARJEL believes that this decline is part of a slowdown in tournament activity.
