French gambling officials released a report containing detailed results from the performance of the online gambling segment on the territory of the country.
According to the numbers reported, online sports betting activities continue to be a widely preferred gambling option.
Unfortunately, the online poker industry is not as thriving as it should be. What is more, during the Q4, the stakes for cash games reported a decrease. However, the fees for tournaments became more stable.
French gambling regulator – ARJEL, put emphasis on the fact that during Q4 there was a significant increase in the revenue generated through online betting. The amount reached €322 million and marked an increase of 22% as compared to the results reported during the Q4 of 2013.
As for the YOY increase, it was estimated to be 31%. During 2014, the amount of €1.1 billion was generated. By comparison, the revenue during 2013 was €848 million.
The gross profits reported during every other quarter remained pretty much the same but compared to the numbers from 2013, they increased by €63 million.
According to the report, the increase in online stakes is mainly due to bets placed on football. Football bets formed 64% of the revenue. Basketball and tennis formed 15% and 9% of the annual turnover, respectively.
As a matter of fact, the increased revenue from online gambling activities is not surprising since the number of active accounts drastically rose to reach 1,142,000 in 2014.
As already mentioned, the situation with the revenues generated through online poker games is not that optimistic. A decline of 12% was reported YOY. During 2014 the revenue totaled €1 billion and the annual stakes were €4.3 billion.
ARJEL representative announced that bearing in mind the numbers reported three years ago, the downfall is really worrying.
Despite the problematic online poker sector, the fees for entering tournaments kept growing and they totaled €1.5 billion towards the end of 2014. By comparison, they amounted €1.4 in 2013.
Statistics related to the most widespread payment methods in France was issued. The majority of players use their credit or debit cards for making payments for participating in gambling activities. As much as 11,6% use prepaid cards for gambling purposes and less than 5% rely on e-wallets.
An interesting tendency concerning the age of French players who use online gambling options was also reported. A great number of players between 18 and 34 years of age are said to place their bets through mobile devices but now the percentage of people aged 35-80 who use mobile gambling services increased to reach 80%.
