Interactive
France – French online gaming shows significant growth in Q3
By William - 18 November 2019
Latest figures show that the French online gaming market has continued to grow significantly in the last 12 months. The gross gaming revenue of the licensed online gaming market increased by 28 per cent to €346m for the third quarter of 2019.
According to the quarterly analysis of regulation of online games, GGR increased 44 per cent to €214m, corresponding to 62 per cent of the turnover across the entire online gaming market. Betting on horse racing grew by five per cent to €66m, whilst the poker market increased 11 per cent.
Sports betting generated close to €1.1bn in Q3. Business issues increased by nine per cent compared to the third quarter of 2018, a much lower trend than the first half which saw a 34 per cent increase. This very pronounced slowdown in the stakes has been attributed to the sports calendar of the quarter being less attractive than last year. In contrast to stakes, the average number of active players per week decreased one per cent, a downward trend in this indicator which has not been observed since 2017. The decrease is essentially related to the seasonality of competitions, with betting being stimulated in even years by the football World Cup or the European Football Championships. If the number of bettors recruited during the 2018 World Cup who did not play beyond the tournament are considered, the global progression of active players accounts remained constant, with a 17 per cent increase in the first three quarters of 2019. The quarterly turnover of the 13 sports betting operators amounted to €214m, an increase of 44 per cent.
The GGR of the third quarter of 2018, which had increased by 40 per cent, had been negatively impacted by the results of World Cup football matches being favourable to punters, with France winning the tournament. The final of the competition alone generated a loss of €36.5m for licensed operators. The RTP rate significantly reduced this quarter, generating a significant growth gap between the progression of bets and GGR. The stakes placed on horse racing amounted to €270m, a seven per cent increase in the number of bets compared to the third quarter of 2018. The growth of the stakes in this sector is close to that recorded in the previous quarter (eight per cent) and is expected to continue to grow.
Quarterly sales are also growing, reaching €66m, representing a turnover which is €3m higher than last year’s figure recorded over the period. The online horse betting market also had one less operator than last year, following the repeal of Beturf’s horse racing license.
The turnover generated in poker reached €66m, with €21m in cash games and €45m in tournaments. This is an increase of 11 per cent compared to the third quarter of 2018, the highest quarterly growth in two years. Growth in the sector’s turnover accelerated sharply compared to that recorded in the first half (one per cent). Meanwhile, the average number of active players per week increased by eight per cent, a growth rate twice that recorded in the first half of 2019. Each week, nearly 256,000 player accounts participated in cash games or in tournaments, against 238,000 who partook last year over the same period.
