The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has prepared a report on Europe’s online gambling sector in 2021 in partnership with H2 Gambling Capital, a renowned betting and gaming consultancy.
The analysis, covering EU-27 and UK markets, focuses on gambling market revenues, regulated online gambling market, betting devices shares, and more.
Last year’s total gambling revenue in the said markets should have been some 7.5% higher compared to 2020, reaching €87.2 billion ($98.9 billion) gross. However, that’s a 13% drop from 2019, mainly because of COVID-19 restrictions on land-based gambling activity.
Speaking of which, that sector was expected to increase by 0.4% to €50.8 billion ($57.61 billion) gross in 2021, but compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, the figure was down by a huge 32%.
That’s hardly a surprise, since we know sports suffered a major blow from the pandemic, like many other industries.
As for Europe’s online gambling revenue in 2021, the report says it should have been €36.4 billion ($41.29 billion) gross, up by 19%.
This increase in the European online gambling segment is projected to continue. Online gross gaming revenue (GGR) should grow by around 9% annually and stand at 41% of Europe’s total gambling revenue by 2026, notably higher than 26% seen in 2019.
Furthermore, the experts believe the use of mobile devices (phones and tablets) for online gambling will remain on the rise. The majority of bets in 2021, 50.5%, were placed via mobile devices for the first time. By 2026, that percentage could reach 61.5%.
The mobile segment is obviously flourishing, as growth is also expected regarding in-app purchases from mobile gaming apps.
Apart from the overall market figures, EGBA has also presented aggregated data about the operations of its member companies: bet365, Betsson Group, Kindred Group, William Hill, Entain, and Flutter.
In 2021, these companies had 29 million online customers and a combined online GGR worth €10.9 billion ($12.36 billion), accounting for 36% of Europe’s online gambling revenue.
EGBA Secretary-General Maarten Haijer says online gambling has grown, but there are some markets where it could develop more, such as Germany, Italy, Spain, and France.
According to Haijer, as the online segment grows, so does the need to ensure that safe gambling is practiced. That’s a very important message, as research shows sports gambling is very likely to encourage addiction.
Therefore, the best thing authorities can do is make sure that all the regulations are followed while using the latest technology.
