The Glory of France Extends to Q2 Returns

A strong connection has been established between France’s World Cup victory and a growth in gambling in Q2’s final figures.

Wagers Skyrocket

A report by national regulator ARJEL indicates record Q2 sports wagering transactions topping €1bn ($1.16bn) across 12 betting sites in the period, representing a quarter million vault from Q1’s €847m this year.

The World Cup Contribution

The World Cup self-evidently has driven the growth, with €382m in World Cup match wagers across the winning country’s online platforms.

The leading individual take was turned in by French gaming giant Francaise des Jeux (FDJ), whom reported the fielding of €333m World Cup wagers across its online and land-based businesses, a shade short of half the national market total of €690m.

The France-Croatia final hosted €67m worth of wagers across the sector, with FDJ posting a new record single match total of €32m.

New Accounts Record

The ARJEL report identified another major record driven by the World Cup, with 960,000 new player accounts created during the quarter, as proven by the year-on-year rise in active player accounts from 302,000 in Q2 2017 to 527,000 a year later.

Other Sectors and Verticals

In sectors outside of football, ARJEL reported significant gains in horse racing betting, where online wagers up 5 percent year-on-year to €250m, and stakes falling 5 per cent during the tournament’s first three weeks.

The poker vertical also performed strongly, with ARJEL reporting gains in player accounts of 8 per cent to 246,000 and cash bet 9 per cent to €925m. Online tournament entry fees also contributed to growth at a tune of 10 per cent year-on-year to €525m.

In Review

At the end of the day, Q2 2018 was a winning campaign all around in France. The best case scenario would be a levelling out of all numbers, where the shortfalls in non football activity would swing back around while football wagering maintains the momentum of France’s momentuous victory.