Operator News

Europe – Europe to be down 13 per cent on 2019’s gambling revenues next year

By Phil - 22 December 2021

Europe’s total gambling market revenue will increase by 7.5 per cent in 2021, driven by 19 per cent growth in the online market. But total gambling market revenue is down by 13 per cent compared to 2019, as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to restrict land-based gambling activity.

Europe’s total gambling revenue will increase to €87.2bn gross gaming revenue (GGR) – but total gambling market revenue is down by 13 per cent compared to 2019 levels as Europe’s land-based gambling sector continues to feel the impact of COVID-19 restrictions, according to new end-of-year data published by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) in partnership with H2 Gambling Capital.

The data release, covering EU-27 and U.K. markets, includes information about Europe’s gambling market revenues, regulated market shares, popular online gambling products, and various information about national gambling markets.

The data forecasts Europe’s online gambling revenue to increase by 19 per cent this year to €36.4bnGGR but will not compensate for the recent declines in Europe’s land-based gambling activity. While Europe’s land-based gambling revenue is expected to increase by 0.4 per cent this year to €50.8bn GGR, land-based revenue is down significantly by 32 per cent compared to 2019 levels due to the pandemic-related restrictions on land-based gambling in many European countries.

The growth in Europe’s online gambling market is expected to continue and be accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, with online GGR expected to grow approximately nine per cent yearly and reach 41 per cent of Europe’s total gambling revenue by 2026, up from a 26 per cent share in 2019. Another trend expected to continue is the increasing use of mobile devices (phones and tablets) for online gambling, with the share of bets from mobile devices this year set to account for the majority (50.5 per cent) of Europe’s online bets for the first time, and expected to reach 61.5 per cent of all online bets by 2026.

In addition to overall market data, EGBA has also published finalised European market data, for 2020, from its member companies – bet365, Betsson Group, Entain, Flutter, Kindred Group, and William Hill – including information about revenues, products, customers, and licensing in the EU-27 and UK online gambling markets.

Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA, said: “The growth trend of Europe’s online gambling market continues but there remains significant room for online development in markets, such as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, where the online share of the total gambling market is still relatively low despite the online markets in these countries being relatively mature. With continued online growth also comes the responsibility to ensure the online market is well-regulated and operators continue to utilize the latest online technologies to promote a stronger culture of safer gambling.” –