UK online gambling operator Bet365 has regained Italy’s online sports betting crown from those usurpers at Planetwin365, although the title of king really depends on how you’re keeping score.
Figures published this week by Italian gaming news agency Agimeg.it show the SKS365 Group’s Planetwin365 brand retaining its status from September as the top recipient of the Italian market’s online sports betting turnover in October. Planetwin365 claimed 16.3% of the roughly €561m wagered online last month while Bet365 ranked second with 14.5%. The top-five was rounded out by Snaitech (9.2%), Eurobet (8.9%) and Sisal (7.3%).
However, in terms of online sports betting revenue, Bet365 was the undisputed ruler with an astonishing 29.45% of the total €72.2m generated by Italian-licensed online operators in October. Planetwin365 was a distant second with 9.6%.
Although each would-be king (or queen) appears to have factors favoring their claim to the throne, we’re tipping the scale in Bet365’s favor based on the site’s utter domination of the revenue chart.
Total online and land-based sports betting revenue hit €180.4m in October, more than two-thirds higher than the same month last year, while overall betting handle improved 22.4%. For the year-to-date, betting revenue is up 5.4% to €975.5m.
October’s online casino revenue was up nearly one-third year-on-year to €51.9m, with Lottomatica’s 8.73% market share narrowly ending out The Stars Group’s PokerStars (8.51%) and Sisal (8.42%) for the top spot. (For the record, SKS365 ranked 10th on the casino chart with 3.43% while Bet365 was one spot behind with 2.73%.)
Online tournament poker had a solid October, with entry fees jumping 27.3% year-on-year to €7m. As always, PokerStars ran roughshod over the competition, garnering 67.5% of all tournament spending, while runner-up Sisal (5.5%) narrowly fended off third-ranked Snaitech (5.4%).
Online poker cash games also posted positive growth in October, rising 3.4% to €6m. PokerStars controlled 43% of this market, while SKS365 jumped into second place with 7.15%, relegating perennial number-two Lottomatica to third place with 7.13%.
