Interactive

France – FDJ reports annual turnover rise despite reduced points of sale

By Lewis - 22 April 2021

Results published by La Française des Jeux (FDJ) in its latest quarterly report show that despite the closure of nearly 10 per cent of the group’s points of sale, stakes are up 11.8 per cent to €4.6bn.

Turnover is up 5.2 per cent to €538m. Compared to 2019, the last ‘normal’ year, the FDJ recorded increases of six per cent and sales growth of four per cent.

Stakes recorded by FDJ in the first quarter of 2021 amounted to €4.6bn, including lottery stakes of €3.5bn, an increase of 3.8 per cent and more than 10 per cent when excluding Amigo.

Drawings totalled €1.3bn, up 2.6 per cent and more than 20 per cent excluding Amigo. The closure of bars and strict sanitary measures limiting point-of-sale parking continued to have a significant impact on Amigo, whose stakes are down by more than 50 per cent.

Lotto and Euromillions stakes, which grew by more than per cent, benefited from several long cycles, notably Euromillions with a new winnings record of €210m. Instant game stakes reached €2.1bn, up 4.6 per cent, benefitting from the good performance of launches and relaunches during the quarter.

The FDJ underlined “a strong dynamic of the digital lottery”, up by nearly 90 per cent driven by the increase of nearly 70 per cent in the number of players compared to the first quarter of 2020. As such, digital bets almost doubled their weight in the lottery to nearly 12 per cent.

With a calendar of sporting events back to normal, sports betting stakes stand at €1.1bn, up 46.1 per cent, driven by a high rate of return to players which favoured reinvestment.

Stakes increased on all distribution channels, up 5.7 per cent at point of sale to nearly €4bn and 87.2 per cent online, to nearly €0.6bn – more than 12 per cent of the group’s total stakes compared to more than seven per cent in the first quarter of 2020.

“Despite an environment still affected by the health context, the first quarter confirms the good direction of our activities, with stakes exceeding the levels recorded before the crisis,” commented Stéphane Pallez, CEO of the operator.

“After reaching nearly 10 per cent of activity in 2020, digital uploads continue to grow at a high rate and network activity is holding up. The lottery events programme and a dense sporting calendar, including Euro football, should allow us to continue this momentum in the months to come.”