EU online gambling market revenue up 11% in 2018
European operators account for almost 50% of global online gambling market
Gross gaming revenue (GGR) in the European online gambling market increased 11% year-on-year to €22.2bn in 2018, according to new data released by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA).
The study, launched in collaboration with H2 Gambling Capital, found online gambling accounted for 23.2% of the total European gambling market, increasing from the 21.2% share of the market in 2017.
In total, the European Union (EU) market (all 28 states) accounted for 49.2% of the total online gambling market globally.
However, the revenue going to licensed operators only accounted for €15.9bn of the market total, reflecting a channelisation rate across the EU of 71.7%.
The UK market (34.2%) made up the largest proportion of the total, generating a market value of €7.3 billion GGR in 2018.
Sports betting was the most popular online gambling activity within the EU during 2018, generating GGR of €9.4bn and accounting for 42.5% of the total EU market.
Online casino was the second most popular gambling activity in the EU during 2018, generating GGR of €7.2bn, equivalent to 32.4% of the total EU market during the period.
Maarten Haijer, secretary general of the EGBA, highlighted the strong growth in the market, together with the growth in bets being made via mobile calling for more consistent standards across the EU.
“The current situation of diverging and sometimes conflicting regulations in EU countries is detrimental to consumers, authorities and operators alike,” Haijer added.
Lottery-based gaming generated €2.8bn gross gaming revenue in the EU during 2018, while online poker and online bingo hit €1.1bn (5%) and €1bn (4.3%) during 2018 respectively.
More than half of bets placed online (57%) were placed from a desktop computer, with the remaining 43% being placed via phones and tablet computers.
Current EGBA members include bet365, Betsson Group, GVC, William Hill and Kindred Group. Member organisations hold 121 online gambling licences across 20 EU countries.
In 2018, EGBA members accounted for €5.41bn GGR or 24% of the total EU market, processing 320 million online payments. Member firms serviced 16.5 million customers, processing 31.6 billion bets during the year.
The EGBA has said its members paid a combined €86m in sports sponsorships to European sports federations and paid over €132m for online streaming rights to sporting events during 2018.