An Excellent Quarter For The French Market

French gaming regulator Autorité de Régulation des Jeux En Ligne (ARJEL) has revealed the industry’s performance during the last three months of 2017.

According to the figures released last week, the country’s market is on the rise, especially when it comes to online sports betting, which generated €704 million in turnover, an increase of more than 30% over the corresponding period of 2016.

Results Are Improving

Online betting revenue spiked by 82% to €163 million, setting a new quarterly record.The number of active bettors went up a quarter to 1.12 million, with a 43% jump of bettors active on a weekly basis (393,000).

Q4 2017 is the best-ever quarter since the modern regulated market in France went live in 2010, with a 21% increase in turnover (€2.5 billion) and a 35% rise in revenue (€472 million).

Operators in France cut their spendings by 20% during the three-month period ending on December 31, which significantly impacted the results, while the market gained 10% in acquisition bonus expense and 8% decline in retention bonuses.

More Impressive Numbers

Horserace betting has recorded a year-on-year growth in the third quarter in a row, completing an excellent yearly performance. The annual results of the struggling vertical have gone up for the first time since 2012, with the number of active players increasing by 8%.

Horserace betting turnover went up by 8% to nearly €1 billion (or €999 million, to be precise), while revenues reached €245 million, 4.7% more than in the same period of last year.

Online poker vertical saw the number of active players go up by 13% in the last quarter of 2017 to 609,000, raising the full-year gains to 1.05 million (8% more than in 2016). Cash games recorded a minor fall of 0.35% to €930 million, but the impressive results during the third quarter contributed to an annual rise of 1%, or €3.6 billion.

We can expect more improvements during 2018, especially since France will share the liquidity pool with Spain, Italy, and Portugal. As more operators enter the country’s regulated market, the numbers have only one way to go – up!