Europe's gambling revenues up 7.5% in 2021 but down on pre-pandemic levels

According to an end-of-year data report published by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) in partnership with H2 Gambling Capital, Europe’s total gambling market revenue will increase by 7.5% in 2021, driven by 19% growth in the online market to €36.4 billion GGR.

The report, which covers EU and UK markets, reports that the total gambling market revenue is down by 13% compared to 2019, as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to restrict land-based gambling activity. While Europe’s land-based gambling revenue is expected to increase by 0.4% this year, to €50.8bn GGR, land-based revenue is down significantly by 32% compared to 2019 levels, due to the Covid-19 pandemic-related restrictions on land-based gambling activity in many European countries.

A market driven by online gambling

The growth in Europe’s online gambling market is expected to continue and be accelerated by the pandemic, with online GGR expected to grow approximately 9% yearly and reach 41% of Europe’s total gambling revenue by 2026, up from a 26% share in 2019. The increasing use of mobile devices is expected to continue with the share of bets from mobile devices this year set to account for the majority (50.5%) of Europe’s online bets for the first time, and expected to reach 61.5% of all online bets by 2026. “The growth trend of Europe’s online gambling market continues but there remains significant room for online development in markets, such as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, where the online share of the total gambling market is still relatively low despite the online markets in these countries being relatively mature. With continued online growth also comes the responsibility to ensure the online market is well-regulated and operators continue to utilize the latest online technologies to promote a stronger culture of safer gambling”, said Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA. 

In a nutshell, EGBA members, which totalize 234 online gambling licenses across 19 European countries, with licenses now in Czech Republic and Portugal, now account for 36% of Europe’s online gambling revenue with €10.9bn in online gambling GGR and 29 million online customers.