iGaming market continues to grow in France
The French gaming regulator released the first quarter results, which show that online gaming is on the rise.
France.- French gaming regulator ARJEL released its latest report, which shows that online gambling grew across all markets during the first quarter of the year. Online betting revenue achieved impressive results during the three-month period, with a 55 per cent increase year-on-year.
All verticals of the online gambling industry in France managed to post good results, but online betting revenue was the top scorer, as it rose 55 per cent year-on-year to US$175 million, a new quarterly record driven by favourable sports results that allowed the return to players to decrease 2.1 points to 85 per cent, the minimum allowed under French regulations. The average number of active players per week increased 26 per cent to 462k, thanks to bonus offers, which also increased 52 per cent to US$23.4 million.
Licensed online sports betting operators collected US$1 billion during the three-month period ending March 31st, a 34 per cent increase over the same months in 2017, and a new record achieved for online betting handle since France launched its regulated market eight years ago.
The only poker market also reported an 18 per cent jump to US$1.3 billion, as it also saw an increase in its player base this quarter, with the number of poker players increasing six per cent. The overall turnover of online poker operators grew by five per cent to reach US$82.5 million.
Online horse racing bets increased 9 per cent to US$322 million and this quarter became the fourth consecutive to post a year-on-year growth. Football bets rose 34 per cent year-on-year to US$556 million and accounted 55 per cent of the first quarter total wagering handle. Furthermore, tennis wagers increased 26 per cent to US$194 million, accounting 19 per cent of Q1’s overall handle, while basketball bets jumped 53 per cent to US$149.4 million during the three month period, representing a 15 per cent share.
