Operator News

France – France’s national lottery operator FDJ surges past 2019 turnover by 10 per cent

By Phil - 21 February 2022

After a lackluster 2020 financial year, due to the health crisis, 2021 was back with a result more in line with Française des Jeux’s, the operator of France’s national lottery games, forecasts with revenue of €2.3bn, up 18 per cent compared to 2020.

The draw games, Loto and Euromillions, supported by historic jackpots, recorded €5.7bn bets, up seven per cent. Instant games grew by nine per cent with stakes amounting to €9bn over the financial year. For the second consecutive year, there was a sharp increase in digital, up to 37 per cent of stakes compared to 2020, with a 25 per cent increase in players. A new increase which follows an initial increase in bets of 62 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019. Since 2017, the number of online players has been multiplied by 2.7 in the lottery sector.

Under the impetus of major events (UEFA Euro 2020), sports betting recorded good growth, both at points of sale and online: 4.2 billion stakes, up 19 per cent, for a turnover of business of €500m, up14 per cent. Here too, the digital dynamic is tangible, since since 2017, the number of players has multiplied by 2.4.

Turnover was up 10 per cent compared to 2019. It reflects an increase of 11 per cent, to €19bn. The resulting EBITDA amounted to €522m, representing a margin of 23.1 per cent, up from 22.2 per cent in 2020. As for the net result, it amounted to €294m, i.e. a jump of 37.38 per cent compared to 2020 (€214m) and 45.54 per cent compared to 2019 (€202m).

For shareholders, these good results are materialized by a dividend of 1.24 euros per share, or 8 per cent of consolidated net income, which will be proposed by the group’s board of directors at the general meeting of April 26. The

“The year 2021 marks FDJ’s return to its pre-crisis growth trajectory for all of its activities,” said Stéphane Pallez, Chairman and CEO of the FDJ group. “The Group’s 2021 results are significantly higher than those recorded in 2019, thanks to the acceleration of digital and growth in the network of points of sale. These performances testify to the relevance of our strategy and lead us to revise upwards the 2025 objectives communicated at the time of the Group’s IPO, both in terms of growth and EBITDA margin.”

On the strength of these good results, the FDJ expects a turnover increase of five per cent and an EBITDA margin rate of more than 23.5 per cent for the 2022 financial year.

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