Betting on online sports is doing well in France

Unlike poker and horse racing, sports betting continues on their tremendous momentum, as demonstrated by the results of the third quarter 2016 posted by the ARJEL.

The ARJEL, Online Gambling Regulatory Authority in France, recently posted the results of the third quarter of 2016, and the good news is that sports betting is a charm. Indeed, this sector has seen a not insignificant increase compared to the same period of last year, which is rather positive for the market which had had some dark periods. On the other hand, it is important to note that the results are not as positive on the side of horse racing and poker which continue to know a certain decline.

Sports betting is growing

During the third quarter 2016 (July to September), in France betting industry recorded an incredible $ 448 million in terms of online bets placed, representing an increase of 50% compared to The same period of the previous year. Revenues for all operators amounted to € 87 million, an increase of 40% compared to the results for 2015. This is partly due to the commitment of the players who been more active during these three months. There were 239,000 active accounts, unlike the 165,000 registered in the third quarter of 2015. With all this, it would not be usurped to say that this sector is finally taking seriously take off.

A sporting calendar that was more than favorable

Sports betting has been so spectacular, especially because of the various sporting events that took place during this period. There was mainly Euro 2016 and the Rio Olympic Games. Once again, football and tennis won the most bets, with 58% and 27% respectively. The basketball completes the podium with only 3% of the bets. As for Euro 2016, the biggest bets were placed between the 4th and the 10th of July, the week of the semi-finals and the final of the tournament, totaling more than 53 million euros, .

Poker and horse racing drag the paw

If everything goes for the best side of sports betting, this is not really the case for other areas, including poker and horse racing. Indeed, these two sectors continue to decline, although the fall is less harsh for poker. Online table gambling operators had a turnover of 52 million euros, which is slightly lower than the 54 million achieved in the third quarter of 2015. As for horse racing, 213 million euros Bets were placed in this quarter, compared to 238 million in the same period last year. Despite the fact that these new figures are not so alarming, it is important to take action regarding these online gambling to go quickly downhill.

In summary

This third quarter was rather turbulent in France, notably with very positive results on the one hand and a somewhat mixed balance on the other. So, there is more to hope that sports betting will continue this momentum (although some say it may not be the case next year because of the shorter sports calendar), and that The other sectors mentioned above will rise again.