French gambling regulator, Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has released its latest financial report revealing that the first half of 2023 saw the non-casino gambling sector report combined revenues of €5.3 billion ($5.6 billion).
The latest figures represent a 4% increase when compared to the same reporting period in 2022.
La Française Des Jeux (FDJ) Leads Market
State controlled agencies, La Française Des Jeux (FDJ) and Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU), which offer lottery gaming and horse racing wagering respectively account for 78% of gross gaming revenue (GGR) of the entire market.
FDJ alone posted €3.3 billion ($3.4 billion) in GGR for the first half of the year, up by 2% compared to the first half of 2022.
The state-owned operator’s success was mainly driven by sports betting activity as FDJ accepted over €2.3 billion ($2.4 billion) in wagers over the reporting period. Meanwhile lottery sales increased by 2% to reach €8.2 billion ($8.6 billion).
The launch of the FDJ’s poker offering in the second half of 2022 also helped boost online activity and revenues for the operator.
Meanwhile PMU’s GGR for the period reached €873 million ($920.2 million), up by 1% compared to the first half of 2022.
Online Betting
The first half of 2023 saw the online gaming sector generate GGR of over €1.175 billion ($1.24 billion), up by 10% compared to the same period in 2022. However, revenues remain lower than the first half of 2021 when the delayed Euro 202o tournament and the closure of horse tracks saw online GGR reach €1.2 billion ($1.26 billion).
Sports betting accounted for 64% of all revenues while online poker accounted for 21% and online horse racing wagering 15%.
The number of active online customers across all sectors increased by 3% over the period to around 3.9 million.
Sports Betting
Total wagers accepted by sportsbooks in the first half of 2023 came to €4.2 billion ($4.4 billion), up 5% from €3.9 billion ($4.1 billion) in 2022. GGR for online sports betting came to €750 million ($790.4 million), up by 10% compared to the same period in 2022.
The increase in activity can be directly attributed to the 12% increase in the number of active customer accounts which now stands at 3,171,000. According to the report, the FIFA World Cup in December of 2022 also allowed operators to offer increased bonuses to improve customer retention and acquisition which is reflected in early 2023’s figures.
Horse Wagering
Following a decline in online revenues during 2022 as a result of the return of horse racing bettors to tracks and retail bookmakers, online horse racing betting is regaining momentum in 2023. According to the report, active customers in this online segment increased by 4% to a total of 484,000 active customers.
Online horse wagering operators reported accepting €743 million ($783.1 million) during the first half of 2023, up 2% compared to 2022. Combined GGR for the sector was €177 million ($186.5 million), up 5% year-on-year.
Online Poker
Online poker operators reported combined GGR of €251 million ($264.5 million), up by 16% compared to the first half of the previous year. This increase in activity is directly attributed to higher active player accounts. Accounts increased by 16% to reach 1,353,000 in the first half of 2023 as a new provider (FDJ) entered the market.
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.