Denmark Grows in its Own Way in World Cup Season
Published October 27, 2018 by Lee R
The Danish self-exclusion program is as strong as the growth in verticals.
Denmark has enjoyed a boost in activity from the World Cup.
World Class Impact
In World Cup 2018 Q2, the Danish regulated gambling market rose 11.5 per cent to DKK1,630.3m (€218.6m) on the heels of strong performances from online casino and sports betting.
Q2 Revenue Contributors
Sports betting gross gaming revenue (GGR) increased 24 per cent year-on-year to DKK648.1m for Q2, with not just the start of the FIFA World Cup contributing, but the inclusion of horse race betting GGR and the previous year's liberalization of horse, dog and pigeon racing.
The Q2 Breakdown
Danish Spillemyndigheden regulatory agency further reveals Danish-licensed gambling operators take at a 7% consecutive jump from Q1 2018.
Offline betting activity contributed nearly one-third of betting revenue, with mobile betting channels accounting for 48.7% of betting revenue with another 17.6% coming from desktop platforms.
Mobile proved to be the dominant facilitator in Denmark, dominating betting turnover at 54.5% share, the other contributors being land-based (22.9%) and desktop (22.7%) with land-based channels the winning contributors (44.4%) for individual betting transactions.
Overall Cup Activity
As for overall World Cup wagering including the portion of July play outside Q2 parameters, betting turnover grew 72.5% from the 2014 tournament in which Denmark’s national team did not participate, with World Cup wagers 13% higher than those recorded in the 2016 European championship.
Q2 Verticals
As for the online casino vertical revenue, DKK537.2m was the figure for Q2, good for a 17.4% year-on-year improvement and 3.1% rise from Q1. Slots continued to lead the casino vertical contribution with a 66.4% share, followed by roulette (15.9%) and blackjack (12.3%).
Bingo contributed DKK12.2m for a DKK15m drop from Q1, while online poker revenue came in just below DKK25m, for a sequential drop of about DKK3m from Q1’s take, with the Q1-to-Q2 decline continuing an annual trend since 2012 when the Danish market was liberalized.
Platform Contributions
The PC still prevails in Denmark as the largest contributing platform to online casino revenue (69.2%), online bingo (77.4%), roulette (57.4%) and blackjack (52.1%), with mobile winning only the slots vertical at 50.2%.
Land-Based Activity
The land-based gaming machine sector continues to drop in Denmark, with revenue of DKK353.8m dropping 8.7% year-on-year, with restaurant-based machines experiencing a steeper slide than those in arcades. Overall, Denmark’s seven land-based casinos reported a revenue drop of 4% year-on-year to DKK91.5m.
Self-exclusion in Denmark
Denmark's unique if not pioneering self exclusion program ROFUS reported total registrations for self exclusion at 15,322 for August 1st, for a year-on-year increase of 4,149 volunteers, with 69% opting for permanently self-exclusion from access to Danish gambling operators.
Outlook
Denmark may be both effectively serving customers and automating problem gambling relief at the same time, and further development in the context of ROFUS bears monitoring for all stakeholders.
