2017 Was a Good Year for Gambling in Uruguay

Uruguay gambling regulator Lotteries and Quinielas (DNLQ) has released full-year figures for 2017, which show the gambling in this South American country is on the rise.

Uruguayans gambled around $809 million during the last year, with all games, apart from Quiniela, recording an increase in sales. According to available information, this figures accounts for nearly 1.3% of the country’s GDP.

A Reasonable Increase

Commenting on the 2017 results, Director of DNQL, Luis Gama said the increase was reasonable. He stated the company’s had decided not to expand its offer, and to concentrate on the one already running since it included the most traditional games and the ones that people were most interested in.

Sales went up by 6.3% to $456 million, with Quiniela being the most popular game, taking home $157 million. Tombola and Cinco de Oro were far behind, with $82.3 million and $79.2 million in sales, respectively, while instant Quiniela game generated $30.3 million in sales.

Supermatch sports betting game recorded the biggest growth in 2017, with a total of $59.3 million in bets on this game – three times more than in previous years.

Gama commended the government policy of blocking online gambling sites and added this move had made a significant contribution to the increase in country’s gaming revenue since many punters had shifted to Supermatch. Apart from that, Gama noted larger prize pools were at had, along with a substantial increase in advertising.

Growth To Continue This Year

Thirty betting rooms managed by the Uruguayan Casino Control Board grossed $225.8 million, which represents a 5.2% over 2016. Javier Cha, the Head of the Board, said the profit was at $67 million and added the Board had made improvements to the casinos it operated. The reopening of the Casino del Sacramento in Colonia and the Casino La Paloma in Rocha were the most ambitious projects realized in 2017.

The Enjoy Conrad Hotel in Punta del Este generated $83.9 million in revenues by the end of Q3 2017, while Hípica Rioplatense, which operates Las Piedras and Maronas racecourses, along with a number of venues, recorded a net income of $43.8 million in the Q3 2017 alone.

The growth should continue in 2018, according to current estimates.