Mobile betting is helping to drive revenue growth in regulated EU iGaming markets. Recent statistics show that 43% of bets last year were placed via mobile or tablet, up 4% on 2017’s figure.
Altogether, online gambling in the 28 member states grew 11% year-on-year between 2017 and 2018. €22.2 million in total revenue was reported, compared to €20m in the previous 12 months.
The statistics were published by the European Betting and Gaming Association (EBGA).
Popular verticals
Sports betting was the most popular vertical, forming 42.5% of all online gambling activities. Casino was second on the list, making up 32.4% of the equation.
All of the other verticals were quite far behind. Lottery made up 12.6% of the iGaming landscape. Meanwhile, Bingo was at 4.3% and other/ skill gaming 3.2%.
EBGA members acknowledged the growing importance of mobile betting. General Secretary Maarten Haijer said: “Europe’s online gambling market continues to show a strong demand-driven growth and a switch to mobile devices.”
“But its increased popularity reinforces the need for more consistent and strong consumer protections and industry standards across all EU countries.
“The current situation of diverging and sometimes conflicting regulations in EU countries is detrimental to consumers, authorities and operators alike.”
The total volume of bets
The EBGA’s data also showed that 320 online payments were processed, accounting for both deposits and withdrawals. The industry also provided a lot of people with livelihoods, creating a total of 32,000 jobs.
Looking ahead
As new markets open up, it’s possible that reports over the next five years will show a fluctuation on the figures mentioned in this article. Many affiliates will be keep an eye on the Dutch iGaming market, which is now planned to open in 2021.
That year could be particularly profitable if Germany also adopts a nationwide iGaming policy, which it has been striving towards. At the moment, this country’s regulated online market has restrictions.
All of the key EU gambling figures for 2018 are available here.
