French sports betting revenues rise 40% on World Cup boost
Bets on the 14 World Cup matches in Q3 accounted for 16% of total revenues
French sports betting revenues rose 40% year-on-year in Q3 2018, buoyed in part by an 84% rise in the number of sports bettors during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Figures released by ARJEL showed betting revenues totalled €149m (£129.8m) during the period, with wagers totalling €995m (£867.1m) from over 553,000 punters betting with French licensed bookmakers.
Bets taken were 81% higher than the same period of last year and represent the biggest rise since regulation in 2010. Bets on the 14 World Cup matches in Q3 topped €163.7m, contributing 16% of the betting total received during the quarter.
Elsewhere, bets on Ligue 1 rose by 40% during the quarter topping €54m, while Ligue 2 betting also grew by 53% during the same period, rising to €27.3m.
Revenues from online horseracing betting increased by 6% during the quarter, rising to €63m with bets also increasing by 4% to €254m.
Online poker revenues also grew by 3% during the period, rising to €59m buoyed in part by a 13% increase in cash game stakes, which rose to €1.05bn (£914.9m).