France’s regulated online gambling market saw revenue rise 4% to €756m in 2015, thanks primarily to a stellar sports betting performance.
French gambling regulator ARJEL says total online sports betting turnover in 2015 was up 30% to €1.44b, an impressive feat given the comparison with a FIFA World Cup year. The figures were driven by a record Q4 performance, which saw wagers rise 40% to €452m.
ARJEL credited a 1.8% rise in customer payout ratio (to 81.3%) for boosting active sports betting customers by 31% in 2015. Sports betting revenue spiked 53% to €54m in Q4 while full-year revenue rose 19% to €270m.
Lest anyone get too excited, it’s worth pointing out that the increased sports betting stakes triggered higher rates in France’s punitive tax regime. So despite the betting bonanza, the net take by French-licensed operators was up a mere 6% last year. Liberté, égalité, fraternité… merde.
Online sports wagering eclipsed horserace betting in 2013 and the trend accelerated last year. Despite the number of horse bettors remaining flat, wagers fell 2% in 2015 to €1.02b, the fourth consecutive year of declines and the lowest full-year figure since the regulated online market launched in 2010. Despite the declines, horseracing revenue fell only 1% to €254m.
Online poker has been in decline since 2013 and 2015 did nothing to snap this streak. Tournament entry fees rose 14% to €1.77b but cash game stakes fell 14% to €3.73b. Total online poker revenue slipped 4% to €232m as active customer numbers fell 4% year-on-year.
Smartphone and tablet wagering continues to rise, with 56% of sports bettors making a mobile wager in 2015, up from 45% in 2014 and marking the first time a majority of sports wagers were not placed via desktop computers. Mobile rates for horse wagering improved three points to 36%, while poker rose just 1% to 46%.
ARJEL lacked data for the full year, but total marketing expenditure by French-licensed operators from January through November fell 24% to €134m as operators searched for ways to improve their tax-troubled bottom lines.
The ranks of French-licensed operators decreased by one to 16 in 2015, while the number of individual licenses per vertical was unchanged except for poker, which decreased by two to 10.
