Online sports betting continues to perform in French market

Third quarter results released by France’s regulatory authority ARJEL indicate the continued rise of online sports betting and the fall of poker cash games and horserace betting.

Key performance highlights for the three month period ending September 30, 2016 include:

Online sports betting stakes grew to Euro 448 million, 50 percent up on the same period last year, and revenue increased 40 percent to Euro 87 million. Stakes generated by the UEFA Euro 2016 and Rio 2016 Olympic games generated turnover of Euro 34 million and Euro 39 million respectively which accounted for 16 percent of total sports betting stakes during the quarter. The average number of active players weekly accounts grew 45 percent to 239,000 compared to 165 thousand in Q3 2015.

Gross gaming revenue from online poker dropped 3 percent to Euro 52 million (Q3/2015: Euro 54 million), the decline slowing from previous quarters although ARJEL notes tournament entry fees increased slightly during the quarter. Stakes declined 2 percent to Euro 817 million while tournament admissions rose just 0.4 percent (Q3/2015: 7 percent).

Online horserace betting stakes declined Euro 25 million y-o-y to reach Euro 213 million, a decrease of 11 percent while active player accounts slipped 8 percent. Gross gaming revenues fell 10 percent to reach Euro 54 million (Q3/2015: Euro 60 million).

The full report (in French) can be read here: http://www.arjel.fr/IMG/pdf/2016T3.pdf