French Q1 sports betting revenues soar 17%
Latest figures from ARJEL show sports betting GGR hit 63m as poker revenues fall 7%
A double-digit rise in revenues saw sports betting outpace poker revenues in the regulated French online gambling market during Q1 2015, with poker suffering a 7% decline in the three months ended March 2015.
According to the latest figures released by l’Autorité de regulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL), GGR from regulated French online sportsbook operators soared 17% to 63m outpacing the overall market which rose a more modest 3% to 190m during the period.
The regulator’s Q1 2015 report showed that sportsbooks accepted bets totalling 351m in the three months ended 31 March, an increase of 38% year-on-year compared to last year, with the vertical surpassing poker on a GGR basis.
France’s online poker woes continued in Q1 after the vertical recorded a 7% year-on-year decline in GGR, falling from 65m to 61m. Cash game stakes fell 15% year-on-year to 1bn while tournament stakes rose by 5% to 426m.
The figures come after Christian Eckert of the ruling Socialist Party last week said the government would assess proposals to include online poker liquidity sharing between France and other EU countries as part of a new Digital Bill expected before Parliament next year.
ARJEL is still talking with operators and other stakeholders to assess the type of changes that would be required to improve the market after its president Charles Coppolani had previously expressed his support for such an agreement.
“We believe that the fact that the Secretary of State for Budget spoke publicly about those is a significant move, as it means that the government may support this proposal and may really consider to push positive changes to the poker market and, more generally, to the gambling industry,” Diane Mulleneux, head of Pinsent Masons’ gambling and gaming practice, told eGaming Review.
Revenue from horse race betting remained steady at 66m, making it the largest vertical in the regulated French market, despite a small 1% year-on-year decrease in total stakes.