FDJ has reported a 9 per cent rise in revenues for 2022.

France.- The French lottery and gaming operator Groupe FDJ has reported 2022 corporate revenue of €2.49bn, a rise of 9 per cent from 2021. The group says the “very strong” results put it back on course for its “intended Paris IPO trajectory”.

Performance was boosted by the post-pandemic recovery and the World Cup 2022 final. Sales from lottery and sports betting reached the €20bn mark, up from €18.9bn the previous year. 

FDJ’s lottery network generated €1.9bn, up from €1.7bn, with Parions Sport revenue rising 2 per cent to €500m. Cost of sales rose by 8 per cent to €1.33bn, with marketing expenses hitting €461m due to a revamp of creative designs. EBITDA was up 13 per cent at €590m. Net profit totalled €308m.

FDJ President, Stéphane Pallez, said: “FDJ recorded very strong results for the year as a whole, marked by an increase in all of our business activities, supported by significant growth in our 30,000 points of sale and sustained momentum online.

“This strong performance benefits all our stakeholders, in particular our employees, our retailers and our shareholders. The group continued to strengthen its social commitments, in particular its actions to prevent excessive and underage gambling. The group is confident in its strategy and its prospects to create balanced value in the medium term.”

FDJ has set a target of €2.5bn in revenue (+5 per cent) for 2023, during which it will integrate its acquisitions of Aleda and L’Addition to upgrade the payments for its lottery network. It also expects to complete its acquisition of ZeTurf Group, broadening its horse racing betting offering. In November, FDJ launched its first online poker offering, making Jackpot Sit & Gos available on its ParionsSport en ligne mobile application. 

French regulator reports record betting on 2022 World Cup

The French gambling regulator l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has reported record betting and operator revenue from the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Not counting bets placed with FDJ, €597m was wagered in France, an increase of 56 per cent from the 2018 World Cup and 37 per cent from Euro 2020. Gross gaming revenue came to €70m.

The Qatar World Cup, in which France was beaten by Argentina in an extraordinary final, attracted 54 million bets, more than doubling the number placed in 2018. Some €51m was bet on the final – a record for a single game and easily beating the €38m bet on the France-Croatia final in 2018.