Portuguese revenues climb 24% in 2018
Market reports double-digit rises in egaming and sports betting as World Cup lifts figures
Portuguese online gambling revenues climbed 24% year-on-year during 2018, with double-digit rises in both betting and gaming.
Revenues in 2018 topped €152.1m (£132.1m), up from the €122.6m reported during 2017, representing the highest revenues since the Portuguese market went live in 2016.
Sports betting led the way in 2018, with licensed revenues increasing 15.8% to €78.9m. Revenues generated during the World Cup accounted for €20.5m of this figure.
Revenues from egaming rose 34% year-on-year to €73.2m in 2018, up from the €54.4m recorded during 2017.
In both sports betting and egaming, revenues were highest in Q4, with sports betting revenues hitting €21.6m and egaming generating €21.5m respectively during 2018.
SRIJ confirmed that over 31,500 consumers had chosen to self-exclude from gambling in 2018. It also revealed that it asked 338 gambling operators to cease illegal gambling operations in the Portuguese market.
The regulator confirmed that 270 sites which had been previously warned in 2018 were now blocked to Portuguese players.
The Portuguese government is currently investigating whether to abandon its turnover-based tax on sports betting.